The Unexpected
by tubagal2007
Summary: The men at Station 51 are no strangers to the surprising and bizarre. But when an unexpected character is hired on, things begin to change, especially for a certain soft spoken medic and his high-strung partner. Will these changes be for better? Or for worse?
1. Chapter 1

How different would things have been if this unexpected character had shown up? More of an alternated timeline for Station 51. This is my first fanfic, so please be nice :) I welcome all feedback because this story is as much for you guys as it is for me. Thanks for reading!

Elizabeth

Chapter 1

"Gage! DeSoto! Can I see you in my office?" Captain Stanley's voice rang out through the station.

"Sure thing, Cap!" Johnny called back. He looked at Roy, setting down his coffee mug on the table. "Wonder what he wants."

"Well I guess we should go find out." replied Roy. He led the way to Cap's office. Captain Stanley looked up from his desk as his two paramedics walked in.

"Have a seat, you two." He stood up and moved to the front of his desk.

"What's up, Cap" asked Roy as they sat down.

Captain Stanley leaned against his desk. "Remember when the department said they were thinking about bringing on some EMTs to work with the paramedics?"

"Yeah. They were talking about getting some to help with the call volume. What about it?" asked Roy.

"Well I just got a call from headquarters. They're going to do a test run of the program, see how well EMTs will work."

"That's great! We could use more help with the ambulances." said Johnny.

"Not on the ambulances, on the squads."

"Huh?" Johnny was clearly confused.

"Actually, your squad, to be exact."

"What are you saying, Cap?" asked Roy.

"What I'm saying, Roy, is starting tomorrow, you two will be having an EMT partnering with you."

"Why us? Why not station 110, or 16?" asked Johnny.

"Well, the way Dr. Brackett put it, you two are the best in the business, so he wants to see if you two would benefit from the program."

Roy and Johnny shared a nod.

"Starting tomorrow." stated Johnny.

"Starting tomorrow." Cap nodded.

"Do you know anything about this EMT?" Johnny was being skeptical already.

"All I know is that he's moving down here from Washington."

"Washington? Their laws and certifications are different from ours." said Roy.

"That's something you would have to talk to Dr. Brackett about."

Just then, the tones sounded out.

"_Squad 51, possible heart attack at 1254 Pine street. That's 1-2-5-4 Pine Street. Cross street Central. Time out 08:32__"_

Johnny and Roy were in the squad within seconds.

"Squad 51, KMG 365." Captain Stanley handed Roy the paper with the address written down and the pair took off.

After parking the squad at Rampart, Roy found Johnny talking to Dixie at the nurse's station.

"Now Johnny, how can you say that? You haven't even met the EMT yet." Roy heard Dixie say.

"Hey Dix, what's Johnny complaining about now?"

"Hey Roy. Johnny here is just voicing his disapproval about the emt program."

"I was merely saying that I didn't see the point in having emts on the squads. I mean, every ambulance has two, why add them to a squad?"

"I'm sure Dr. Brackett has a good reason for it. Besides, we could use more medically trained help on high priority calls." said Roy, "Personally, I think it's a great idea."

Dr. Brackett was making his way over to the group when he caught the last bit of Roy's comment. "What's a good idea?" he asked.

"Hey Doc, how's the patient?" asked Johnny.

"He's stable. You guys got him here plenty quick. Now what's this idea you're talking about?"

"Johnny here is voicing his opinion about EMTs." said Dixie.

"What's wrong with emts?" asked Brackett.

"There's nothing wrong with them. I just don't see the point in having one with each squad."

"Well, that's why we're trying it out with you two first. Besides, you should be glad for the help."

"Why do you say that?" asked Johnny.

"Well this is no ordinary, run-of-the-mill EMT you're getting."

"You've met him already?"

"Of course. I needed to revise some of their certifications."

"Revise?" asked Roy.

"Yes. Because this EMT is coming from Washington, their laws are different than ours. I had to pull some strings to keep all their certs. Consider this one a sort of guinea pig, per se."

"I don't follow." said Johnny.

"What Dr. Brackett is trying to say is this EMT has training that EMTs in this county don't. For one, they can start IVs." said Dixie.

"An IV trained EMT?" asked Roy.

"Yes. They call them IV Techs. It's a special class. I'm considering a similar program for our county as well."

"Well, that's different. What else can he do?" asked Johnny.

"He?" asked Brackett, sharing a look with Dixie. She gave him a wink.

"He also has experience with rescues. Everything from rock-climbing to water rescue to snowmobiling. Not to mention wilderness survival training and horseback search and rescue." said Dixie.

"Well he sounds like the hottest thing to come along since D5W." said Johnny.

"I don't know about that, but certainly qualified for the job." said Brackett.

"Well, we'll just see about that." smirked Johnny.

The HT beeped in Roy's hand.

"Well, that's us. We'll see you later Dix, Doc." said Roy.

"See you guys later." called Brackett as the two headed down the hall.

"And take it easy on the new guy!" Dixie added.

Johnny waved his arm in confirmation as the two medics disappeared around the corner. "Think we should have told them?" asked Brackett.

"I think it'll be more fun for them to find out on their own." smiled Dixie.

"More 'fun'?" asked Brackett.

"Sure. It gets kinda boring around here. A nurse has to find her own entertainment somewhere."

Brackett smiled before he was paged to Room 3.

The next morning, the men of A-shift were slowly filtering into the dayroom, looking for their morning coffee.

"Uh Cap, why are there curtains in the shower and dorm?" asked Chet as he walked through the door.

"Because I wanted to make it feel more homey. You have a problem with that?" asked Cap.

"No, Cap. Just curious is all."

"I saw the new bunk behind the curtain in the dorm. That for the EMT?" asked Marco.

"Sure is." Cap continued to read the paper.

Roy and John walked into the room.

"Hey Cap, what's with the-"

"Cap here wanted to redecorate. He had a hard time choosing between the green and blue. Personally, I like the blue." said Chet, cutting off Johnny.

"Oh shut up, Kelly." said Cap, "They're for the EMT."

"The EMT? Is he shy or something? He'll have to get over that pretty quick. Is that why there's also curtains in the-" began Johnny, pouring coffee.

"Shower?" Marco finished.

"Yep." Cap smiled with secretive amusement.

"Speaking of which, where is he?" asked Johnny.

"Should be here anytime. Headquarters said they'd call before-he-got here." Cap responded.

"Headquarters? Man, must be a pretty special guy." said Chet.

"I don't care how many certificates or training this guy has. I'll have to see it for myself." said Johnny.

As if on cue, the phone rang. Stanley picked it up.

"Captain Stanley. Already? Ok, I'll be right there." He hung up the phone and walked out of the room without saying a word.

The guys looked at each other.

"Well, Roy, Johnny has clearly made his opinions about this guy known. What about you?" asked Chet.

"Honestly, if Dr. Brackett trusts him, so do I."

"Yeah, but Roy, you don't even know him."

"Neither do you, Johnny."

Cap reappeared in the door way."Fellas, I'd like you to meet Amy Schiemer."

Everyone's head snapped in his direction, Johnny choking on his coffee. "A girl?" he asked.

Roy stood up and walked over to the pretty blonde standing next to Cap. He held out his hand."Hi, I'm Roy DeSoto."

The blonde took his hand and shook.

"Nice to meet you, Roy." she smiled widely.

"A girl?" Johnny asked again. Amy's smile wavered.

"I'm sorry about him. He's just a little stunned." said Roy

"You could say that again." blurted Marco.

"Marco!" silenced the Cap.

"Let me introduce you to the guys." said Roy.

That seemed to rattle them out of their shock. They stood up, extending a hand as Roy introduced each one. Mike was first in line. "This is Mike, our Engineer."

"Good to know who's in charge of the engine." she smiled, shaking his hand.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Amy, please." she said sweetly. She moved on to the next man in line.

"This is Chet Kelly, one of our linemen."

"Nice to meet you, Chet."

"Pleasure is all mine." He said, placing both hands on hers. Roy rolled his eyes as they moved on.

"This is Marco Lopez, another linemen."

"Pleasure to meet you, Señorita."

"Muchas Gracias, Señor."

"Oh, tu' hablas Español?"

"Si. Yo hablo mucho de español."

"She speaks spanish, too?" asked Johnny.

"And this is my partner, John Gage, but we all call him Johnny." said Roy, flashing him a warning glance.

"Nice to meet you, Johnny. Are you two the paramedics I'll be working with?"

"Well, I don't know about-"

"Yes ma'am. That we are." Roy cut off Johnny.

"Oh, please, Roy. Call me Amy."

"Okay, Amy. Would you excuse me for a moment?"

"Sure."

"Cap," Roy turned toward Stanley, "can I see you for a moment?"

"Sure, Roy."

"M-me, too." Mumbled Johnny, stumbling over his chair as he followed the two out.

Amy watched the group walk out the door. It wasn't hard to guess what they were going to talk about.

Roy waited until they were in Cap's office before speaking.

"Cap," Roy started.

"I already know what you're going to say, DeSoto, but Dixie made me promise not to tell."

"She knew?! That means Brackett-" started Johnny.

"Yeah. He probably knew you would react this way, so he didn't want us to find out." said Roy. He turned back to Stanley.

"Cap, she's a woman-"

"I know, Roy. Headquarters has cleared it. That's the reason for the curtains."

"And she's okay with this?" asked Roy.

"Apparently, she had a similar set up at the company she came from. They all shared the same living quarters."

"But she's a girl!" blurted Johnny, not yet able to get past the obvious.

"Yes, Gage. We've established that." said Cap, slightly irritated.

"Since when do you have a problem with girls?" asked Roy.

"I n-nuthin. Just surprised me. T-that's all." Johnny stumbled.

"We will just have to make due. And you never know, maybe she knows how to cook." said Cap.

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe she does." Johnny said to himself.

"So, where are you from?" asked Marco. The rest of the A-shift were all sitting at the table now, their full attention on the smalll blonde in front of them.

"I'm from a small town in the Northern Cascades, in Washington."

"Why did you move down here?" asked Mike, breaking his usual silence.

"Well, I moved down to take care of my grandma. She's getting older and wanted to help. My supervisor got in contact with Dr. Brackett and here I am."

"How big was your station?" asked Marco.

"Station? Oh, no. I'm not a fire fighter. We had our own ambulance crew that ran out of the hospital."

"Really? How did that work?" asked Marco.

"Well, we had two ambulances, one Medic and one EMT on each. And we all would respond to calls."

"So you're strictly medical trained." said Mike.

"Yes. I do have a lot of experience with all kinds of rescues as well, but I am planning on acquiring my red card while I'm here."

"That'll be a first. A woman firefighter. It's awfully hard work." said Marco.

"I think I can keep up." smiled Amy. Just then, she noticed that Chet had been quiet. "Chet, are you okay?" she asked.

"My head,." he said, putting his hands to his forehead, "Maybe some fresh air will help." He stood up and took a couple steps before falling to the floor, apparently unconscious.

"Chet!" called Mike, as he and Marco jumped up.

Amy calmly set down her mug and stood up. She took one look at Chet, then looked at Marco.

"Marco, would you please go get me the drug box?" she asked calmly.

"Uh, sure. I'll get Roy."

"That would be great. Thanks."

Marco left the room as Amy knelt down next to Chet. She fought to keep the smile back from her somber face. She gently felt the back of Chet's head.

"Has he ever done this before?"

"No, he's never had this happen." said Mike.

"No medications?"

"None."

Amy looked up and met his gaze. She knew by the look in his eyes that he was legitimately concerned. The look of pity crossed her face.

"Amy, what's going on? Marco said-Chet?!" Roy had just entered the doorway of the room.

Amy looked up and saw the rest of the guys by the door, Marco setting the drug box on the floor next to her.

"It's okay, Roy. I got this." She opened the drug box.

"EMTs can't-"

"I'm not going to, Roy." She said sweetly as she dug through the bottom of the box.

"Ah!" She lifted something small and white. Roy recognized it immediately, smiling to himself.

"Roy, are you gonna-"

"Shh, Junior. It's ok."

Obviously, Johnny hadn't seen what Amy had in her hand.

There was a small 'snap'. Then she held the piece of white capsule to Chet's nose. He suddenly jumped awake, coughing.

"Aaggh! What is that stuff?" he asked, trying to clear his nose.

"Smelling salts. Works every time." said Amy, closing the box.

"Man, you are the first one whose caught me."

"Kelly!" scolded Cap.

"Sorry, Cap. Had to try."

"It's okay, Cap. I expected it." She stood up, handing the box to Roy, "Just be grateful that I went with the salts instead of my usual option."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" asked Chet as he stood up as well.

An evil kind of grin crossed Amy's face.

"Two large bore IVs and a nasopharyngeal airway in both nostril." she turned to Roy, "Shall we go to the squad?"

"Absolutely." smiled Roy, leading her into the bay.

"Kelly, I would be careful with that one if I were you." said Cap.

"Yeah Cap, I figured."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Amy followed Roy out to the squad, Johnny not far behind. Roy opened the doors on the passenger side.  
"So, basically, this is where all the medical equipment is kept. The biophone, trauma box, drug box, cardiogram, resuscitator, oxygen," Roy pointed to each one.  
"So, this is the only side I'll have to worry about?" asked Amy.  
"Well, the stokes are on the engines, but everything on the other side is the fire gear, like our tanks and turnout coats."  
"Easy enough. A lot less than my rig back home."  
"Well, we only carry the necessary stuff." Johnny scoffed as he leaned against the squad.  
"I didn't say that was a bad thing. The ambulance has more room to work with and they transport." She turned back to Roy. "Mind if I open this stuff up and see what you've got?"  
"Not at all. Go for it."  
Roy was pleased at how eager she was to be learning the equipment. He could tell that she knew some-what of what she was doing.  
"So how long you been an EMT?" asked Johnny.  
"Four years in April." Amy replied, taking out the cardiogram and setting it on the ground.  
"Only four years? And you have all this experience in rescues?" he asked, a bit skeptical.  
"The town I'm from is a big tourist attraction up in the mountains. We get everything under the sun. From cardiacs to rafters in trouble in the river, to paragliders going down 10 miles up a mountain, to nosebleeds. You name it."  
"Sounds exhausting." said Roy.  
"It can be, yes, but I love it."  
"You love people getting hurt?" Johnny was testing her.  
"Johnny-" warned Roy.  
"No, it's okay," she looked up at Johnny, locking eyes with him. She knew what he was getting at, and she was going to make her point quite clear, "We have a saying where I'm from. We don't want people to get hurt, we just want to be there when it happens." he looked back at the equipment in front of her, pulling out leads and paddles.  
Roy gave Johnny his 'back off'' look.  
"Wow, this is old-school."  
"What?" asked Roy, kneeling down in front of her.  
"You still use paddles."  
"What did you use?" asked Roy.  
"The monitor we have is a cardiogram, EKG 12-lead, and defibrillator all in one piece of equipment. The shock is delivered through the patches you place on the patient, like the EKG patches, but much bigger."  
"Sounds like our equipment is insufficient." said Johnny, who still hadn't moved. He couldn't figure out what exactly was irritating him about her.  
"Actually, I do like this model because it has the telemetry built in. Nice being able to send a strip to the doc. We don't."  
Amy was trying her best to ignore Johnny's jabs. What was his problem anyway? She hadn't been here longer than 20 minutes. Was that all it took for him to judge whether he liked a person or not? She wasn't sure if she would be able to work with him if he kept it up, but she would try. She could get along with just about anybody.  
She put the cardiogram back and started on the trauma box next. Roy moved to stand next to Johnny. He didn't have to say anything for Johnny to know Roy was already cross with him. He was just trying to gauge her character.  
"Do you carry bottles of Saline?" Amy asked.  
"What for exactly?" asked Roy.  
"For burns, irrigation, that sort of thing."  
"Not really. We usually open a bag of D5W and use it. But come to think of it, that would be a much better idea. Wouldn't use up so many bags that way."  
"Well, it's up to you. I don't know how often you would use it, but I'm sure being firemen, you see plenty of burns."  
"That we do."  
Amy put away the equipment she had pulled out and placed it back in the squad. She took a quick look at the oxygen bottle and saw that they used the same equipment that she was already familiar with.  
"Now what?" she asked.  
"Well, if you go find the Cap, I think he has a uniform for you." said Roy.  
"Oh, of course. How silly of me. I'll be right back."  
She left the bay, leaving Roy alone with Johnny. He turned towards his young partner.  
"What is it?" asked Roy in a tone Johnny knew all too well.  
"What is what?"  
"The problem. I like her and she seems to be knowledgeable. I had expected to have to explain everything to her, but she picked up pretty fast."  
"Well, she may know her equipment, but can she use it under pressure?" smirked Johnny.  
"You think she can't handle it." Roy shot back, matter-of-fact.  
"All I know is, in my experience, woman can't handle this job the same way a man can."  
"I never thought I'd see the day when you didn't like a girl."  
"Oh sure, she's pretty, very pleasing to look at, but that's not going to help her. All I'm saying is, does she have what it takes to take care of a patient?"  
"We'll find out soon enough."

The station was suddenly filled with the sound of the klaxons, the two medics immediately heading for the squad.

"_Station 51, motor vehicle accident, intersection of  
Stevens and Alamido. Law enforcement is on scene.  
Intersection of Stevens and Alamido. Time out, 10:34."_

Amy slid into the cab next to Roy, followed by Johnny. She had had just enough time to change into her uniform and grab her helmet before the call had toned out.

"Station 51, KMG 365."  
Captain Stanley handed the address to Roy before rushing to the engine. Roy hit the lights and siren as they pulled out of the bay and onto the roadway.

"Wonder how many patients we have." said Johnny.  
"Yeah, that would be good to know." agreed Amy.  
"Heck of a way to start a shift." said Roy.  
"No kiddin'."

They arrived on-scene a few minutes later. Two cars were mashed together in the center of the intersection, an apparent T-bone. Vince walked up to the squad as the trio exited the cab.

"Hey Vince, what happened?" asked Roy as he took off his helmet and left it on the seat.  
"Driver of the red car ran a light, hit the other car. There's only the two drivers. They don't seem too bad, but I didn't want to move them till you got here. The driver in the white car has a good sized gash on her forehead."  
"Thanks, Vince. Good thinking." replied Roy.  
Amy grabbed the trauma box while Roy and Johnny grabbed the rest. They made their way towards the wreck.  
"Johnny, I got this one, you take the other one. Amy, you follow me." Said Roy, heading for the white car.  
"Yes sir." replied Amy.  
They made it to the first car. Amy saw the driver was a woman, about 60. She had a laceration to her forehead, a small stream of blood trickling down her face, but otherwise she seemed fine.  
Roy opened the front door while Amy slipped in behind the driver's seat.  
"Ma'am, my name is Roy DeSoto and I'm a paramedic with the LA County Fire Department. Are you hurting anywhere?"  
Amy already had her hands on the woman's neck, holding c-spine.  
"Just my forehead, and my neck. I think I hit my head on the steering wheel."  
"Okay. Ma'am, my partner is going to hold your neck in place, so don't move it, ok?"  
"Okay."  
Roy stuck his head out of the car and saw Johnny coming towards him. He could see the question on Roy's face.  
"He's not injured, just shaken up. His brakes failed. What have you got here?"  
"Neck pain and a laceration to the forehead." replied Roy.  
"I'll get Rampart then." Johnny set up the biophone while Roy handed a c-collar to Amy. As she placed it on the patient, Roy took vitals.  
"I didn't see him coming at all. The light was green." The shock was beginning to wear off and the patient was quickly becoming visually upset.  
"We know, ma'am. It's not your fault. We'll get you out of here and get you checked out, okay?" Amy kept her voice calm and reassuring.  
"Okay."  
Roy smiled to himself.  
"BP is 172/94, pulse 110, respirations 20." He told Amy.  
"My blood pressure usually isn't that high."  
"Well, you were just involved in a car accident. I imagine your adrenaline is still going, so it is going to be a little higher than normal, but you are going to be just fine." said Amy.  
Roy repeated the vitals to Johnny, who repeated it to Rampart. Amy heard the instructions for immobilization and D5W. Cap came over to the three.  
"Hey, Roy. Need any help here?"  
"Yeah, Cap. We've got a possible neck injury. We need the short board."  
"Coming right up." Cap turned and yelled for Marco to grab the board as the ambulance pulled up. Johnny turned to Roy.  
"D5W. Got it, Roy?"  
"Sure did."  
They got the patient out on the board and set her on the waiting gurney.  
"Let me just get an IV here, then we'll be good to go." Roy said to the ambulance crew.  
"An IV?" the patient asked nervously.  
"It's just a precaution. How is the pain?" asked Roy.  
"It's more of a twinge. I can handle it."  
"You are one tough lady." Amy smiled as she set up the IV bag for Roy.  
Roy got the IV without difficulty and they loaded her up. Amy followed Roy into the ambulance.  
"See you at Rampart." Roy shouted to Johnny before the door shut on them.

The patient was wheeled into Treatment Room 4, where Dr Morton was waiting. He began his assessment, Roy repeating his report.  
"Well, Mrs. Robinson, it looks like you have minor whiplash, and a small concussion. I'm afraid we are going to need to stitch up that cut on your forehead, but it should heal without any scaring. You are one very lucky lady." said Morton.  
Amy and Roy exited the room and found Johnny talking with Dixie.  
"Hi, Dix." Roy greeted.  
"Hi yourself." she smiled back.  
"Have you met our new partner, Amy?" asked Roy, motioning towards her.  
"I have. Nice to see you again, Amy."  
"You too, Ms. McCall."  
"I've told you before, when you are in this hospital its Dixie." She smiled.  
"Yes, ma'am." Amy smiled back.  
"So how have these two characters been treating you?" asked Dixie.  
"Roy's been great! I think he's been asking me more questions than I have him." Amy flashed her smiling face at Roy.  
Dixie noticed how Amy and Johnny seemed to not want to acknowledge each other, but she didn't say anything about it.  
"That's great to hear. These two are our best. I'm sure you'll learn something from them. And I'm sure they'll learn something from you in return." Dixie's quick glance towards Johnny did not go unnoticed by him, but he kept quiet.  
The HT in Roy's hands suddenly came to life.

_ "Squad 51, what's your status?"_

"Squad 51 available." replied Roy.

_"Squad 51, respond with Engine 51 for a traumatic injury  
at 6329 West Avenue. Construction site. Man down hole.  
6-3-2-9 West Avenue. Cross section of Birch Street.  
Time out, 12:43."  
_  
"No break today, aye?" asked Amy.  
"I guess not. Catch you later Dix." said Roy.  
"Bye guys."

-

The squad reached the construction site at the same time the engine did. The trio grabbed their gear and were met by a man wearing a hard hat and overalls.  
"You the one that called?" asked Johnny.  
"Yeah. One of my men fell into a hole we've been digging for a sewage tank. I've got a crew working on digging him out right now."  
They followed the man into the site, and up to a group of about five men standing in a circle.  
"Get back guys. Paramedics are here now."  
The men all took a few steps back to allow them room to work. That's when they all saw the pipe sticking about a foot above the ground.  
"Johnny, are you gonna fit in there?" asked Cap, eyeing the opening. It couldn't be more than a foot and a half in diameter.  
"I don't know, Cap."  
"How wide is it down there?" Cap asked the foreman.  
"It's the septic system. About twelve by twelve, maybe six feet high."  
"How did he end up down there in the first place?"  
"He dropped a tool. Must have reached for it out of habit. He's my smallest man. Went head first."  
"How long's he been down there?"  
"I called as soon as it happened. Fifteen minutes, maybe? He hasn't said anything."  
Cap turned to his crew.  
"Marco, you and Chet go get the stokes, rope and belts." The men took off for the engine. The Cap turned back to the foreman."How far down is it?"  
"Close to twenty feet."  
"Okay. Johnny, we'll tie you off and lower you down. We'll have to wait until they can dig you out."  
Johnny eyed the opening again.  
"Cap, I don't think I'll fit."  
"He can't wait till we can dig to him. We don't know how badly injured he is." said Roy.  
"I'll go."  
Amy had been listening so quietly that they had forgotten she was even there.  
"What?" Roy asked as he looked at Amy.  
"I'll go. I'm the smallest one here. I'll fit."  
"You sure?" asked Johnny.  
"Yes." She answered confidently.  
Roy didn't like it. Yes, she was the only person who would be able to get to the patient and give him aid, but for how long? And how bad was the patient? He didn't know how long she would be without their help. He didn't even know how confident an EMT she was. Then, he realized, he was beginning to sound like Johnny.

He stepped closer to Amy.

"Are you sure you can handle whatever may be down there?" he asked quietly so only she could hear.

Amy turned and stared straight into Roy's eyes.

"I wouldn't have said yes if I couldn't. Roy, that man's got to be in bad shape if he took a twenty foot fall head first. He needs medical attention now. If I'm the only one who can get to him at the present time, then it's my duty."

"Okay, then. I just needed to be sure." said Roy

"If it makes you feel better, I had to take care of a woman who fell head first down an old mine shaft for two hours last year. She came out of it okay." Amy allowed a small smile to show before becoming serious again.

"That does help, thank you." Roy returned the smile.

He straightened up and glanced at Cap. Cap met his senior medic's gaze, the unspoken question apparent on his face. Roy gave a slight nod, reassuring his captain.  
Marco and Chet returned with the gear, Cap turning his attention back on his new crew member.  
"Okay. Let's get you tied off then. We'll lower you down first, then the gear."  
"Got it, Cap."  
Amy fought to hide the slight trembling in her hands as she secured the belt around her waist. It wasn't the adrenaline making her shaky, but just the thought of being in a small, dark are again. She leaned over and looked down the hole, unable to see anything but black.

_Why do I always do this to myself? _she thought bitterly. She straightened up and secured the strap on her helmet, pushing the thought out of her mind.

Roy tied the rope onto her belt, realizing he was being extra careful in checking it's security. He took a step back, handing his HT to Amy, which she clipped onto her belt.  
"As soon as you get down there, let us know what you've got. I don't have to tell you that you're my eyes and ears." smiled Roy. Amy shook her head. "I'll get on the horn to Rampart and put them on standby."  
"Alright," Amy turned toward the foreman. "What's his name? Age?"  
"Matt. His name is Matt. He's 24."  
"Alright." she leaned over the hole. "Matt, if you can hear me, I'm coming for you. Hold on."  
She threw her legs over the edge, taking a deep breath before carefully lowering herself down.

It was completely dark, save for the sliver of light from the opening above. She felt her feet touch the ground and pulled the rope for some slack. After disconnecting herself, she got on the HT.  
"HT 51 for Squad 51." she called.  
"Go ahead 51." she heard Roy on the other end.  
"Send down the flashlight first. It's too dark to see anything."  
"10-4. Sending it down now."  
A few moments later, Amy had the flashlight. She turned it on and shined it around the room. She spotted the patient lying a few feet from where she had landed. He was lying face down in the dirt, as if he had been crawling at one point, then collapsed. She quickly made her way over to him and checked for signs of life. There was a pulse, but it didn't look good. She noted his hard hat must have came off in the fall, and blood was oozing from a deep laceration to the top of his scalp. His right leg was twisted behind him, an obvious fracture, blood seeping through his jeans.  
She carefully log rolled him onto his back and straightened him out. Immediately it seemed he was breathing easier, even if it was still rapid.  
"Matt? Can you hear me?"  
There was no response. A sternum rub rendered the same results. She took out her pen light and talked to him while she checked his pupil response.  
"Matt, if you can hear me, I'm an EMT with the LA County Fire Department and I'm here to take care of you. You're in good hands."  
She flashed the pen light over to the hole and saw that the trauma box had been lowered. As she made her way toward it, she got on the HT.  
"HT 51 to Squad 51."  
"Go ahead."  
"Patient is unresponsive. Was found in prone position. Looks like he tried to crawl away before losing consciousness. His pulse is weak and thready. Respirations rapid and shallow. He has a large contusion with a laceration to the top of his scalp. It is bleeding profusely. Left pupil slow but reactive. Right pupil dilated and reactive. Also, possible femur fracture. I'm going to need the drug box, c-collar and cardiogram. What is the ETA on rescue?"  
"51, 10-4 on patient status. ETA on rescue is about 20-25 minutes."  
"HT 51 10-4."  
She grabbed the trauma box and tugged twice on the rope. It disappeared up the hole as she returned to her patient. From what she already knew of the patient's condition, she worried about the time it would take to get him out. He was in a lot worse shape than her patient in the mine shaft had been. She was afraid he might not make it to even 10 minutes.

Taking the shears out of her pocket, she cut away his shirt, and then pants legs. As soon as she pulled away the jeans from the fracture, a spurt of blood shot past her. She quickly grabbed a trauma dressing and applied pressure while she secured a tourniquet above the wound. When she was sure the bleeding was slowed, she got back on the radio.  
"HT 51 to Squad 51, I have a positive femur fracture and arterial bleed. I need that IV."  
"10-4. Rampart is on the phone. Standby."  
Amy set down the HT and quickly got a dressing on the patient's head wound. She took off her jacket and placed it under his head to give it some cushion. The patient was still unresponsive. There wasn't much more for her to do until she got the okay from Rampart for the fluid.

Up above, Johnny was on the phone with Rampart, Dr. Brackett on the other end.  
"10-4 on the Ringers Rampart. Negative on the drugs. We don't have a paramedic with the patient."  
"10-4, 51. Do the best you can and get him in here as soon as possible."  
Roy got on the HT.  
"51, Rampart says start IV, Ringers bolus."  
"Copy that." Roy noted the strain in her voice, concern crossing his face as he glanced towards his captain. Hank knew all too well the critical condition of the patient. The look Roy gave him confirmed what he was afraid may happen. The patient would probably be dead by the time they got to them.  
Amy finally had all the equipment she needed. After starting a line and hanging it on the spare traction pole, she got him hooked up to the EKG. It wasn't looking good. He had lost a lot of blood. She got on the radio for what seemed like the tenth time already.

"Squad 51, ask Rampart for permission to start a second IV. BP is still dropping." She thought about what else she could possibly do.

"Rampart says go ahead with the second IV." Roy's voice crackled over the HT a few moments later.

"10-4." She started a second Ringers, hoping to get enough fluids in him to keep him going. There wasn't much left she could do.  
"HT 51, what's ETA on rescue?"  
"ETA about 15 minutes."  
"Speed it up if you can. His EKG isn't looking good. Let Rampart know that his pulse has increased to 166, and BP has dropped to 90/74. Respirations are now 12 and shallow, but they're slowing. 51, EKG is starting to show ventricular tachycardia. I don't know how much longer he can keep this up."  
"10-4. We're working as fast as we can." Roy tried to keep the situation calm.  
She checked the femoral artery bleed again. The tourniquet was holding. That took a little worry off of her. If only she could get his fluids back up. She knew she couldn't elevate the legs, not with the femur fracture, even if she did have it in a traction device. At least the tourniquet was helping some of the circulation.

She was in the process of checking his oxygen flow when she saw his breathing rapidly slowing. With a quick look at the cardiogram, she was on the HT in a matter of seconds.  
"Squad 51, BP and heart rate are dropping rapidly. EKG showing severe V-Tach," She was trying to keep calm, "Patient has stopped breathing. Roy! Johnny! He's crashing! I need you1"

Finally, her brain switched into full EMT mode. Her hands steadied and her breathing slowed as she became a one-tracked mind on a mission; keep the patient alive at all costs.  
Something in Johnny had clicked as well. He didn't know if it was the desperation he had heard in Amy's voice, or the fact that she had called to him for help, but he had an overwhelming need to get to her, to help her.  
"Cap, we need to speed this up! The patient isn't going to last!"  
"I know, John. We're trying."  
Johnny grabbed the HT from Roy.  
"Hang on, Amy! We're coming as fast as we can. Just hold on!"

She registered Johnny's transmition, but that's all it was; noise. Her focus was completely on the young man lying on the ground. He was going downhill fast, and there wasn't anything else she could do except keep him breathing manually.

An alarm suddenly blared from the cardiogram. Amy's eyes were on it within a second. What she saw caused her own heart to stop as she grabbed the HT.  
"Patient has gone into V-Fib!" She yelled."Administering shock at 300."  
She didn't wait for a response as she dropped the HT and grabbed the paddles, gelling them as the machine charged up. It reached 300 as Amy placed the paddles on the patient's chest.

"Clear!"  
In the instant she hit the button, she realized that she hadn't needed to say clear. There was nobody else there. She was alone, completely alone. The patient's life was solely in her hands.

There was no conversion. She charged up the machine to 400 this time and hit him again, her eyes on the cardiogram. The rhythm read Asystole. She placed the HT against her neck and held it in place with her shoulder, pressing hard enough to engage the mic on the radio. After delivering the pre-cordial thump, Amy began compressions, speaking into the radio. She was not going to let him die. Not on her watch.

"Squad 51, patient went into V-Fib. I administered one shock at 300 with no conversion. I administered a second shock at 400. Patient flat-lined and I am now administering CPR." She managed between breaths. Not needing to say anymore, she let the radio fall to the ground beside her.

Roy took down the info Amy had relayed to him, hearing the compressions in the way she spoke. He updated Rampart, feeling defeated.

He was startled by a sudden outburst from his easily excited partner.  
"The tractor just broke down. We have another one coming." said the foreman.  
"You have GOT to be KIDDING ME!" shouted Johnny. Cap laid a hand on his junior medic's shoulder.  
"Everybody grab a shovel and start digging till the tractor gets here. We have CPR in progress and she can't do it for ever. Now let's MOVE!" Cap's commanding voice rang out over the crowd. The men jumped to attention and did what Cap had ordered, grabbing shovels.  
Johnny paced back and forth in his spot as Roy stood motionless, his stomach in knots. What had he done? Sending her down there by herself, and on her FIRST DAY! Now she was performing CPR alone, trying to keep a patient alive that wouldn't be by the time they got to them.

He walked over to the hole and looked down. Even though he knew he couldn't see anything, he still looked, hoping to catch a glimpse of her to see how she was holding up.

She had lost track of how long she had been doing this. Ten minutes? An hour? A day? It seemed like an eternity had passed already. Her arms and back burned and ached, her breathing wheezed through her lungs, her heart felt like it was going to explode. Sweat poured from her body, but her determination to keep the patient alive pushed her to continue. Most of her vision had faded away by now. The only thing she could see was the patient. She remembered what she had been taught, knew she had to breath every 5 compressions, knew to check the pulse after a minute. Then she threw her training out the window. She quickly went through all the knowledge she had about cardiac arrest. She knew that there was usually enough oxygen in the blood to keep the brain alive for 10 minutes after arresting, and since she had been pumping him with pure oxygen, she felt it was safe to assume in this case. Starting her own rhythm, she figured she could get four cycles of compressions in before she needed to get her two breaths in. Working the problem out in her head kept her focused on what she was doing, and not on how she was feeling. She wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to keep this up. Her strength was leaving her. Every breath felt like a knife being stabbed into her chest. But she had to keep going. She couldn't give up now.  
"Don't you give up. Don't you dare give up." She found herself saying out loud, whether to herself or the patient, she didn't know.

She barely registered the faint noise steadily getting closer, or even when light finally flooded into the dark hole. Roy fought his way in, Johnny close behind him. She heard equipment being handled and looked up, just able to make out the firemen's forms around her.  
"What-took-you-so-bloody-LONG!?" she managed through gritted teeth.  
"The tractor broke down. We had to start digging. I'm really sorry, Amy." said Johnny.  
Chet kneeled next to her.  
"I can take over now, Amy."  
"No-do-respirations!" she hissed out, realizing that her body wasn't going to let her stop yet. She had been doing compressions for so long that it was completely controlling her actions now.  
Chet seemed to understand this and didn't argue, taking up the oxygen and keeping the patient ventilated.  
Roy and Johnny finally got the much needed drugs into the patient. Johnny prepared the defibrillator.  
"Hold CPR."  
Amy finally pulled away, rocking back on her knees as Johnny placed the paddles on the patient.  
"Clear!"  
He delivered the shock. The monitor read v-fib. Roy hit the charge button again.  
"200...300...400!" said Roy  
"Clear!" shouted Johnny.  
Johnny delivered the second shock. A sinus rhythm came onto the screen.  
"He's back. Let's move!" ordered Johnny.  
Amy stayed in her position, eyes closed, while the rest of the crew loaded the patient into the stokes and out to the waiting ambulance. She leaned forward on all fours, pulling in as much breath as her searing lungs could take. The tunnel vision was finally starting to disappear, her senses coming back to her. She felt a hand placed gently on her shoulder. Roy's face came into view in front of her own, a slight smile on his lips.  
"The patient is on his way to Rampart. We got a pulse back. You got him back. Johnny's riding in with him. Come on, I'll help you up."  
He stood up and offered her his hand. She took it and shakily stood up. Her legs felt like jelly, but Roy put his arm around her waist, keeping her upright. He helped her into the squad, then left to gather up all the equipment left behind.  
She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the cool window of the squad. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Shawn! Brayden! He's crashing!"

Amy woke with a start, slowly registering her surroundings. Seeing she was still in the squad, she realized she must have dozed off.

_Thank god that was a dream. I have got to stop falling asleep after cardiac calls. _She thought to herself, shaking her head slightly to help dislodge the nightmare.

Looking out the window, she saw that they were parked in the ER bay at Rampart. She took it easy getting out of the cab, her body still sore from the earlier run. After straightening out her uniform, she walked to the ER entrance doors and stepped through.

"I'm tellin' ya, Dix, if he pulls through, he has her to thank. That was not easy. Doing CPR, keeping someone alive for 20 minutes. Maybe I was wrong about her. She's not like the others." Johnny was raving to Dix about his new found admiration for the new EMT. Roy just stood there, smiling.

"Speaking of which," Johnny looked at Roy, "Where is she?" he had just realized her absence. Roy shrugged.  
"She's in the squad. Fell asleep on the way here, and I figured she deserved the rest."  
"Not anymore." said Dixie, looking to her right.  
The two medics turned to look in the same direction to see Amy walking down the hall towards them. Exhaustion shown prominently on her face. Roy couldn't help but smile. Amy's disheveled appearance made him think of his own daughter, Jennifer, when she woke up first thing in the morning.  
"There's the weary soldier," Dix greeted with a smile as she drew near the group, "back from the war?"  
Amy managed a tired grin before leaning most of her weight on the counter.  
"Just a little spent. Adrenaline is starting to wear off, so of course my body is starting to voice it's protest."  
Dixie gave her a gentle back rub.  
"Well you did good. Nothin' a good nap won't take care of."  
"And Aspirin." Roy added with a grin.  
"How's he doing?" asked Amy, trying to stifle a yawn.  
"Brackett and Early are with him now. Shouldn't be too much longer." said Dixie.  
"He stabilized on the way here." offered Johnny.  
"I'm glad to hear that. Real glad."  
Before Johnny could say more, the door to Treatment Room 1 opened, revealing Dr. Brackett.  
He saw the group, a smile crossing his face as he walked towards them.  
"Well, he took one hell of a ride, but I think he's going to be fine. And he has you to thank, young lady." he nodded towards Amy.  
"Me?" she asked, stopping halfway through an arm stretch, surprise on her face.  
"Yes. The boys told me what happened, and what you did. Not only did you keep his heart and circulation going, but you also managed to keep enough oxygen in his system. Early tests are showing us no potential brain damage. You, my dear, are incredible."  
Amy shrugged.  
"Just doing what I was trained to do." she half lied. Only part of her training had helped. The other had been her own knowledge.  
"Well I want to meet whoever taught you and shake their hand."  
"I could arrange that," Amy gave him a sly smile, "That would be my father."  
"Your father?" asked Roy.  
"Sure. He's been involved with the emergency field for over 24 years. One of the first EMT's certified little over four years ago. He's taught me just about everything he knows."  
"So it runs in the blood then." said Dixie. Now it made sense as to why this young woman had gotten into the EMS field in the first place.  
"You could say that." Amy replied.  
"Well whatever it is, you have one lucky patient, and my gratitude." said Brackett.  
"Gratitude?" asked Amy.

"Sure. You made my job easier." smiled Brackett.

"Thanks, Doc. Let's just not make a habit out of it, deal?" Amy scoffed. Now she understood why her supervisor hadn't been able to tell her enough good things about Brackett.  
"Deal," Brackett smiled, "Well I have to get going. I'll see you guys later."

"Okay, Doc. Keep me posted on his condition, would you?" asked Amy.

"I sure will."

"Thanks. See you later."  
"Bye Doc."  
"See ya, Doc."

"See you later."

Brackett made it a few feet before stopping, turning back to the group.

"Oh, Amy, when is your next day off?" he asked.

Amy looked at Roy.

"Tomorrow, right?" she asked. Roy nodded.

"Would you mind coming down to my office when you get the chance tomorrow, then?" asked Brackett.

"I haven't been here long enough to get in trouble with the County Medical Director yet." smiled Amy.

"No, nothing like that," Brackett laughed, "there's just a few things I wanted to talk with you about."

"Sure thing Doc. I will be here Wednesday."

"See you then."

Dr. Brackett turned and disappeared into a treatment room.  
The three turned back to Dixie, still sitting behind the counter.

"Wonder what that was about." said Johnny.

"It couldn't possibly be because Brackett wants to talk to Amy, is it?" asked Roy.

Johnny glared at Roy.

Since an argument about to unfold, Dixie decided to intervene.  
"Well I sure would like to chat some more, but I think you guys better take this gal home before she passes out on the floor."  
Amy gave Dixie a tired but grateful smile.  
"Sure thing, Dix. We'll catch you later." said Roy.  
"Bye, Dix."  
"Bye boys, and gal."

Amy fell asleep again on the way back to the station, her head resting on Roy's shoulder.  
"I still don't know how she did it." Johnny said, half to himself.  
"Why?" asked Roy.  
Johnny looked at him.  
"How could she have enough strength, stamina? The last woman we had couldn't even do compressions for more than 5 minutes-"  
"So because she's a girl, that automatically makes her inferior?" asked Roy, testily.  
"No, I just mean-"  
"I think your problem is the fact that you don't think women can do this job as good as men, and today Amy proved you wrong."  
Johnny was silent, pondering his partner's words.  
"I'm kinda glad we got her." he said quietly.  
"Me too."

After parking the squad in the station, Roy and Johnny headed to the dayroom to join the others. Amy, however, heard her bed calling her name and headed straight for it.  
"Hey guys. How's the patient?" Chet asked from the couch.  
"Fine, just fine. Brackett thinks he'll pull through." said Roy, grabbing a cup of coffee.  
"That's great news. I'm sure Amy was relieved to hear that." said Cap.  
"Yeah. Brackett said she was able to keep enough oxygen in him, so he's not suspecting any brain damage." said Johnny, sitting down at the table.  
"Wow. Pretty impressive. How did she react to that?" asked Chet.  
"What do you mean?" asked Johnny, eyeing him suspiciously as he took the mug Roy offered him.  
"Well, it sounds like she's a hero. Just wanted to know her reaction. You know, get to know her character." shrugged Chet.  
"I don't follow." Johnny's usual confusion showing.  
"He means, is she another Brice." said Roy as he took a seat next to Johnny. He saw Johnny turning red before his eyes and prepared himself for the explosion as Johnny immediately turned on Chet.  
"Chet! She just saved a man's life and you're questioning her CHARACTER?!" he roared.  
"Hey, keep it down, you'll wake her up." said Roy.  
Johnny tried to relax.  
"Hey Gage, it almost sounds like you've taken a liking to her." Chet needled.  
"No-" Johnny was taken aback, "I just think you're being a jerk."  
"Easy." whispered Roy.  
Johnny sighed, shaking his head as he took a sip from his mug.  
"Honestly Chet, I think she was too tired. She was glad the patient was stable. That's all she really cared about. Brackett was really praising on her, but she just shrugged it off. Said she just did what she was taught to do." said Roy.  
"Yeah, but you guys aren't trained to perform CPR for 20 minutes by yourself. It's impossible." Marco interjected.  
A smile suddenly spread across Johnny's face.  
"That's the best part. When Brackett asked who had taught her, she said her dad had."  
"Her dad?" asked Mike.  
"Her dad. Apparently, he's been in emergency medicine for 24 years, and one of the first certified EMTs."  
Cap smiled.  
"He didn't just teach her medical skills and knowledge, then. I'm willing to bet she inherited some of his willpower, too." said Cap.

"Maybe persistence." added Marco.

"Sounds like a man I'd like to meet." said Cap.

"Me too, Cap. Me too." Roy agreed.  
"I guess I have a pretty good idea then." said Chet.  
"I think you do, Kelly. I think we all do." said Cap.

Amy felt a hand on her shoulder and something stir around her feet.  
"Amy?" a familiar voice breaking through her sleepy consciousness.  
She rubbed her eyes before opening them. Roy was leaning over her.  
"Dinner is almost ready. Figured you'd want food, seeing as you haven't eaten anything since breakfast." he smiled.  
Amy slowly sat up, her stomach rumbling.  
"What time is it?" she asked with a yawn.  
"Almost five."  
"Really? Wow, I was tired."  
"You had a rough first day," Roy glanced at the foot of her bed, " Boot seems to like you."  
Her face shown her confusion, then she looked to see a scruffy blonde dog sitting on her bed, looking at her with his tail wagging.  
"Oh," she gave his head a scratch, "I didn't know you guys had a dog."  
"We were so busy earlier, we didn't get a chance to introduce you two. He's kinda like our mascot."  
"Well pleased to meet you, Boot."  
Boot parked in response to his name.  
Roy let out a laugh.  
"I'll let ya pull yourself together, then come on into the dayroom. Mike is making his famous spaghetti, and I'm telling you, it's the best."  
"Really?"  
"Really. Even got into a fight with my wife over it." Roy smiled, thinking of the memory.  
"Hmm. I haven't had good spaghetti in a long time. Looking forward to it." Amy thought, wistfully.  
Roy stood up and disappeared from the room.  
After straightening out her appearance, Amy made her way into the bay. As she passed the squad, she had a sudden impulse to run her hands along its body. She placed a hand on the back, running it over the station's emblem. Slowly, she made her way to the front, feeling its smooth, cool, clean metal. It was a relatively new rig, she realized. Either that, or the station took really good care of their rigs. She didn't find one dent, or scratch for that matter. She knew you could tell a lot about a person by how they took care of their rig. To her, a rig, whether it be an ambulance, squad or engine, wasn't just a vehicle. It was, in a way, just like another partner. You had to have complete trust in your partner to not only get you to the call, but to transport you, the patient, and your crew to where they needed to go. In reality, it was the vehicles that you had to depend on the most. Amy knew that, no matter how well you knew your stuff, you wouldn't be any help to the patient if you couldn't get to them. She had a feeling that Roy knew this, just by the way she'd seen him drive. And the way Mike talked about the engine, she knew for certain he felt that way as well.

She made it to the driver's side, opening the door and sliding in. She closed the door and sat there, running her hands over the steering wheel. She wanted to get a feel for this rig, realizing she was trying to connect with it just like she had with the one back home. It was going to be an adjustment, going from an ambulance to a squad, but it wouldn't be too difficult. The squad was smaller than an ambulance, but not too much.

She sat there in silence, eyes closed. She felt it coming before it happened.

_Right now? Are you kidding me?_  
She saw the edge of the road quickly coming close as the squad thrashed wildly. She heard the crunch of metal, the sickening sound of bones snapping as she was thrown about the cab. She felt the searing pain in her chest and abdomen, smelled the choking smoke, tasted the rusty flavor of blood.  
She looked to her left and saw Roy slumped over the steering wheel, blood dripping down his face. She felt a weight on her right and turned to see Johnny leaning against her, also covered in blood. Both were unconscious. She reached out to Johnny with her right arm to check for a pulse. A hiss escaped her lips as a sharp pain shot from her elbow to her shoulder.

_A Humorous fracture is never humorous. _She thought bitterly.

Shifting her weight slightly, she used her left arm and checked Johnny's carotid. He had a pulse. She reached out to Roy and felt another sharp pain in her lower back, almost knocking the wind from her.

_This is really going to ruin my day. _She thought, trying to entertain herself to get her mind off the pain. She quickly started running the scenario through her mind, not thinking about what had happened, but what she needed to do.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and jumped. She blinked her eyes a few times as the image in front of her suddenly vanished, the pain with it. She was sitting in the squad, back in the station. She looked to her left to see Johnny standing next to her, door open.  
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. You alright?" he asked, not sure what was going on with her.  
"Fine." She said, a little too quickly."Just fine."  
"Okay," Johnny gave her a worried look, "well, dinner's ready."  
"Oh, ok. Thanks." She got out of the squad and closed the door. As she began to follow Johnny out, she made it a few steps before stopping, turning back toward the squad. She gave it a long, hard look before letting out a sigh, shaking her head and leaving the bay.

"Okay, thanks Dix. I'll tell her right now."  
Roy hung up the phone as Amy entered the room.  
"Oh, Amy, that was Dixie. She said that your patient just came out of the coma. He's going to be fine. No brain damage. He did have several breaks in his neck, but Dr. Brackett said there shouldn't be any paralysis."  
"That's really great. I'm glad to hear that." she turned towards the table and saw Chet pulling out a chair for her. She cocked an eye brow at him.  
"I wanted to apologize for the joke earlier." he offered.  
Amy smiled and sat down.  
"Don't worry about it. My guys back home used to pull stuff like that on me all the time."  
"How are you feeling?" asked Cap as everybody joined them at the table, dishing out the spaghetti.  
"A lot better, now that I've had some sleep. Good as new."  
"Glad to hear it. It's not every day you do CPR for that long."  
"Tell me about it." said Johnny, mostly to himself.  
Everybody looked at him. He looked up and realized he had spoken out loud.  
"I mean, it was hard, just standing there, knowing you needed help and not being able to get down there, you know. Kinda felt useless."  
He looked back at his plate, shoving a mouthful of the pasta into his mouth.  
"It happens, Johnny. The patient survived. That's all that matters," said Amy, taking a mouthful herself, "wow, Roy, you were right! Mike! This is fantastic!"  
"Thank you. It's my grandma's recipe."  
"It's even better than my mom's. Remind me never to cook spaghetti."  
"So you cook?" asked Marco.  
"Oh yes. Very well, if I do say so myself."  
"Good. Maybe we'll be spared from Chet and Johnny's cooking more often. Sorry fellas." said Cap.  
"Aw, come on Cap. My cooking isn't that bad." said Chet.  
"Chet, what was it you made last night?"  
"Beef stew."  
"Uh huh. With cherries in it."  
"Cherries?" Amy looked across the table at Chet.  
"Yeah. It's my-"

The klaxons rang out, causing everybody to jump from their seats, heading towards the bay.

_ "Station 51, Station 18, Truck 10, Engine 10, structure fire  
10184, Stanford Drive. 1-0-1-8-4 Stanford Drive. _

_Cross street Michael. Time out 17:23"  
_  
Everybody was already in their respective rigs, waiting on Cap.  
"Station 51, KMG 365."  
He handed the paper to Roy and ran to take his seat in Big Red. They headed out of the bay, lights and sirens wailing.  
"Stanford Drive. That's about 15 blocks from here." said Johnny.  
"Yep." replied Roy.  
"So, I'll stay with the rig then? Help any casualties that come out?" asked Amy.  
Johnny turned to her for a moment.  
"Oh right, you don't have your red card." he realized.  
"Yeah. sorry guys."  
"No, that's okay. It'll actually work out be better. Johnny and I will be busy with the fire, so it's good we have you. Do just like you said. Stay with the rig and help anyone that needs it. If you need us for something, tell Cap. He can get us. If Cap is in there with us, then go to Mike. He stays with the engine to work the controls. He has an HT as well, so he can get us or Cap, too." said Roy.  
"Copy that. Get Cap. If not, then Mike. Got it." Amy nodded in understanding.  
"And don't be scared." Johnny added, lamely.  
Amy looked at him, causing Johnny to jerkily turned towards her.  
"What?" he asked.  
"Don't be scared?" asked Amy, an eyebrow cocked.  
"Yeah. Of the fire, I mean." embarrassment starting to show on his face.  
"Johnny, this isn't my first fire." she scoffed. _What a dork. _  
"I thought you said you weren't a fire fighter."  
"Doesn't mean I've never been to one. I'll tell you a story later."  
"Oh, sorry."  
Roy rolled his eyes at his young partner. He really did have a habit of putting his foot in his mouth when it came to woman.  
Turning onto the street, they could already see the white smoke rolling through the trees and down towards them, the house still a good distance away.  
"This isn't good." said Johnny as they got closer. Roy gave a quick nod, thinking the same thing.

They rounded the bend and were suddenly met with a sight that made their blood pressure skyrocket. A three story house was fully engulfed, flames leaping out the windows and licking at the nearby houses. Smoke was pouring out, making it difficult to see the neighboring houses.  
The squad came to a halt in front of the house, the engine pulled up behind. Station 51's crew rushed out of the rigs, throwing on the rest of their gear.  
"Station 51 to LA. We have a three story structure residence fully engulfed. I want a second alarm assigned to this location." Amy heard Cap's voice over Roy's HT.  
"Kelly, Lopez, get a 2 1/2 on the front. DeSoto, Gage, get a 2 1/2 on the back. We'll wait till we have more manpower before I send you two in. We don't know if there's anybody inside. Got it?"  
"Got it Cap." came the reply from the others.  
"Scheimer-" Cap turned to Amy.  
"Stay with the squad. I know, Cap." she responded, already knowing her job.  
"Okay. Let's get to it." ordered Cap.  
Amy was suddenly left alone to watch the scene unfold before her. It was hard. She had been taught that the ambulance team never split up, and yet there she was, watching the two medics-no, her _partners_-heading into a blaze without her. She had known it would be different working at the station. They were all firefighters. She wasn't. It made her all that more motivated to become one. The next class wasn't for three months, and she had a feeling it would be a long three months.  
The other engine companies were starting to arrive. Pretty soon the place was covered with rigs, men and hoses. Amy began to feel restless, not having a task to place her slowly growing adrenaline. She paced, back and forth alongside the squad like a caged animal, glancing periodically at the fire. She heard Mike's HT come to life, her head snapping up to look towards him. She thought she had heard something about victims inside.  
Mike looked over at her and she knew before he even spoke.  
"We've got people inside. Roy and Johnny are going in now." he shouted over the roar of engine.  
She gave a quick nod in response before setting about getting the equipment set up. She got the oxygen ready and laid out two of the yellow burn blankets, forming a make-shift triage area next to the squad and away from the view of the fire. She heard the HT crackle again and looked to Mike as he turned to her.  
"Incoming! Johnny is bringing out a child." he shouted.  
Her heart sank.  
_Not a child. Anything but a kid._  
She willed herself to turn towards the house, afraid of what she might see. Johnny suddenly appeared through the smoke, apparently coming from the back of the house. Locating the squad, he moved quickly towards the waiting EMT, his face mask held over a small pink bundle in his arms.

Amy tore open an oxygen mask and had it hooked up and running by the time he made it to her.  
"Infant. No more than 10 months old." Johnny removed his mask from the child's soot smeared face as Amy replaced it with her own mask. The child's eyes were closed and she wasn't moving.  
"Come on, baby, come on. Take a breath, cry, _something_." said Amy, trying to coax a respond from the fearfully still infant. Johnny had been thinking the same thing as he held the motionless body in his arms.  
"Come on!" Amy repeated, more forcefully this time.  
Finally, an agonizing two minutes later, they heard a small gasp and then a loud cry, muffled by the mask. It was one of the sweetest sounds the rescuers had ever heard.  
Amy and Johnny looked at each other, grinning from ear to ear.  
"There you go, you're fine now. You're going to be okay." soothed Johnny.  
"Are there others? Where are the parents?" asked Amy, suddenly filled with concern again.  
"Roy and Brice were getting them." Johnny looked back towards the house. "They should have been out by now."  
"Give her to me, Johnny." Amy said it more as a command, gently taking the baby from his arms.  
"You sure?" he asked, turning at her commanding tone.  
"Yes. I've got this. Go help Roy."  
Johnny nodded his head and turned on a dime, securing his mask back on his face as he ran towards the house.  
Amy cradled the baby in her left arm, holding the mask over her face with her free hand as the baby continued to cry. After she was satisfied that the infant had enough oxygen, she removed the mask and cleaned the black soot from her face.  
She had just got the baby calmed down when Mike shouted to her again.  
"Roy and Johnny have the mother. Coming out now."  
"Okay. Thanks, Mike."  
Realizing that the crying had stopped, Amy became suddenly alarmed. She looked down, relief washing over her. The baby had fallen sound asleep. Quickly checking the infant's pulse and respirations again for good measure, Amy very carefully placed the bundle in the cab of the squad, securing her with the seat belt. She returned to the oxygen tank, re-adjusting the flow for an adult. After checking the level on the oxygen's gauge, she took out a regular sheet and the bottle of Saline. Knowing how long the mother had been in the burning building, she had a strong suspicion of burns and wanted to be as prepared as was possible. Anything to make the speed of treatment faster.  
She had just finished and was checking on the still sleeping infant when the two medics reached the squad, carrying a woman. She saw the woman's face and guessed she was about 30 years old. With Amy's help, they gently lowered her down onto the yellow blanket, Amy immediately attaching the oxygen mask on her face. They didn't say much to each other as they worked, already knowing what had to be done. Johnny got on the horn to Rampart as Amy set to work removing the charred clothes from the woman, covering her up with the burn sheet. She took a set of vitals while Roy got an IV. Because the woman had third degree burns to most of her upper body, Amy did not apply the Saline for fear of putting the patient into hypothermia. The patient was still unconscious, but her breathing was starting to show improvement.  
"Johnny, BP 90/62, Pulse 74, respirations up to 16. Pupils are equal and reactive." She rattled off, Johnny relaying them to Rampart.  
"10-4, 51. Any other signs of trauma?" Dr. Early's voice echoed from the phone in Johnny's hand.  
"Negative, Rampart."  
"Administer 5 mg MS IV and transport immediately. Keep her well ventilated. How's the infant?"  
Johnny looked at Amy, realizing he hadn't seen the child.  
"She's asleep in the cab. Breathing on her own and vitals are normal. No sign of trauma." said Amy.  
Johnny nodded, relief evident on his face as he relayed the information to Rampart.  
"10-4, 51. Bring 'em in as soon as you can." said Early.  
"Ambulance is here, ready for transport." Johnny confirmed.  
"10-4. Rampart clear."  
The mother was stable, but still unconscious as they loaded her up. Amy gently retrieved the infant from the squad and climbed into the ambulance after Roy. On the way, the little girl woke from the sirens piercing wail, but Amy was able to keep her quiet the rest of the way to the hospital. At one point she looked up at Roy, the two sharing a knowing look. Nobody had said much while they had worked. They hadn't needed to.  
Dixie was waiting for them at the ER doors when the ambulance backed into the bay.  
"Treatment 2." she said as the door to the ambulance opened, ushering them in.  
Roy helped Dr. Morton and Dr. Early with the mother while Amy and Johnny stood off to the side, tending to the baby girl.  
"Doesn't look like she has any tracheal burns. Skin is starting to pink up," said Early as he worked.  
Morton took over care as Early walked over to the small group.  
"How's the baby?" he asked.  
Amy looked up into the face of the older doctor, a smile beaming towards him.  
"She's doing just fine. See for yourself." She raised her arm so that the baby stared right into his face.  
He smiled as he placed his stethoscope to his ears.  
"She looks pretty good. Let me take a quick listen to her lungs to be sure."  
The baby reached out a tiny hand to grab onto the doctor's finger as he placed the scope on her chest. The two rescuers couldn't help but smile. She was too adorable.  
After a minute, Dr Early removed the stethoscope from his ears, placing them in his pocket.  
"Crystal clear. You wouldn't believe she just came out of a burning house. I'd say she's one lucky girl. We'll have her taken to the nursery until the father comes in."  
"Okay, Doc." said Johnny.  
"Joe, she's coming around." said Morton. Early was immediately at the patient's side.  
Her eyes began to flutter and slowly open, registering her surroundings.  
"Where-where am I?" she asked, clearly confused.  
"Rampart Emergency. You've been in a fire. How are you feeling?" asked Early.  
"A fire-Lucy! Where's Lucy? Where's my baby?!" she asked, becoming hysterical.  
"She's fine. Amy?" Early turned to the EMT.  
Already knowing what he wanted, she quickly made her way to the patient's side, pulling back the blanket so the mother could see her baby.  
"She's right here. She's just fine." Amy soothed.  
"Oh thank God!" the woman began to cry in relief as she lifted a blackened hand to the infant. Amy felt a tear form in the corner of her eye as she delicately placed the bundled baby girl into her mother's waiting arms. She looked up at Amy, then at the two medics in the room.  
"Thank you." she said, relief choking her voice.  
"Your welcome." Amy answered quietly. She turned to leave the room, making it to the door before she caught Dixie's eye.  
"You know Dix, some of the things I see, I ask myself why I ever got into this field in the first place," she glanced back at the mother and child, "then something miraculous happens, and I remember why I do this."  
Dixie smiled knowingly as Amy turned and walked through the door. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"So, you said you had a story." said Johnny.  
The three were in the squad, heading back to the station after resupplying. Amy was glad the sun had gone down, being able to hide her face in the dark. Roy had noticed her silence since they had left the hospital.  
"What?" she asked, pulled out of her thoughts.  
"You said you had a fire story." Johnny repeated.  
Roy stole a sideways glance at her. He knew something was bothering her.  
"Oh."Amy turned to the medic on her right. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I kinda don't want to talk about it right now." She looked at her hands, folded in her lap.  
Johnny turned to her, oblivious to her change in demeanor.  
"Another time, Johnny. Promise." Amy added, feeling his eyes on her.  
"Well don't feel like you have to tell me. Just curious is all." said Johnny, turning back toward the window.  
"I know, and I will, just not tonight. Maybe in the morning."  
"Fair enough."  
Silence fell in the cab again. The two medics had worked hundreds of fires, but neither of them had any idea how this one had impacted their new partner. She had been to fires, yes, and one had been bad, but all the others had been nothing. Her partner and herself would park the ambulance at the scene, then sit and wait. Nothing would ever happen; no patients, no firemen injured. Then, when the fire was under control, they would go back home. But this fire had been different. She had sat and watched her two partners go into a burning building, and a part of her had thought they wouldn't come back. It had gotten worse, her anxiety, after Johnny had emerged from the house and didn't know where Roy was. She had fought her instincts to run in after Roy, to help him. The only thing that had kept her feet planted firmly on the ground was the little pink bundle she had taken from Johnny. She had known, no matter how strong her longing to go after Roy was , the EMT in her would keep her with the patient. That was the rule. That was the reason she was even at the scene in the first place; for the patient.  
She felt the squad come to a stop and realized they were back in quarters. The engine company was still at the fire, so it was just the three of them.  
Roy knew the fire had gotten to Amy. He was always intuitive like that, especially towards his partner and now Amy, even if he had only known her for only 12 hours. He had taken notice to her silence on the drive back, as Johnny had done the complete opposite. He was always very talkative after fires, adrenaline still running through his system.  
"Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm still starving, since dinner was interrupted." said Johnny, still oblivious to the change in Amy's mood.  
"You guys go ahead. I'm going to go wash up." said Amy, heading towards the locker room.  
The two watched her leave, Johnny somewhat confused.  
"What's wrong with her?" he asked.  
"I'm not exactly sure. That fire really got to her, I think." said Roy.  
"I know it was rough there for a minute when I first brought the kid out, but it really wasn't as bad as it could have been. She's going to see a lot worse if she stays here."  
"I don't think it was the patients, Johnny. I'm gonna go talk to her. Maybe it'll help."  
"Well okay. I'm going to eat. Let me know if you need me." and he disappeared into the dayroom.  
Roy fumbled the HT between his hands for a minute, giving Amy a bit of time before he went into the locker room. He stepped up to the door and listened. He didn't know if she had intended on taking a shower or not. When he didn't hear it running, he knocked lightly.  
"You can come in. I'm not changing." he heard her muffled answer.  
He slowly opened the door to find Amy leaning over one of the sinks. Her cheeks were flushed, cold water still dripping from her face.  
He waited quietly for her to speak first. When she stayed silent, he took a seat on one of the benches.  
"I noticed you were quiet on the way back. I know something about that call got to you. You wanna talk about it?" he asked, using the same calm, fatherly voice he used with his own children.  
She continued to stare at her reflection in the mirror silently. Then, with a sigh, she dropped her eyes to the sink.  
"There's going to be more like that, isn't there?" she asked, admitting it to herself.  
"Unfortunately, yes. Some even worse. But it's part of the job." he tried to shrug it off.  
"For a firefighter." Amy's voice edged with ice.  
She turned and walked over to the bench Roy was sitting on, taking a seat herself.  
"I don't understand." Roy admitted after a moment.  
Amy turned to look at him. He met her eyes and knew the look all too well. He had seen it many a time in Johnny's.  
"I'm not a firefighter, Roy. If I had been, it would have been different. But it's not. I'm just an EMT."  
"Oh," Roy thought he was beginning to understand, "Are you upset because we left you by yourself?"  
"No. I'm upset because I had to stay behind. There's a difference. Roy, you have to understand, when I was working with the ambulance, my partners and I went in together. We were _partners_-"  
"We couldn't-"  
"Please let me finish."  
Roy sat patiently. He was starting to find it funny how alike her and Johnny seemed to be when something was bothering them. The only difference was Amy was quiet and collected, while Johnny was the opposite. But like Johnny, she had to get it our, whateve was on her mind. Only then could she get back into the game, so to speak.  
"We had each other's backs. We knew that, in the off chance one of us got into trouble or even hurt, the other would be there to get us out of it. We depended on each other. You and Johnny are my partners now. I need you to be able to depend on me. When you two left, it was the worst feeling in the world. Not because I was alone-I'm not clingy like that-but because I wasn't there to back you up. I had to sit there and watch my two partners go into a fully engulfed house, not knowing if they would come out ok. That's what bothers me; not knowing. Roy, you and Johnny have been partners a long time, yes?"  
"Yeah, almost three years."  
"Imagine watching him walking into that fire without you."  
Roy looked down at the floor. Now he completely understood what she was trying to say. He couldn't imagine having to stand by and watch Johnny go into a dangerous situation without him. He would have a panic attack the entire time.  
"I wouldn't be able to." he admitted.  
"It got worse after Johnny came out without you. He said you should have been out already. My instincts told me to run in there after you. That's why I took the baby from Johnny. Told him to go back for you. I'm not a firefighter, I'm an EMT. No matter how bad the situation is, you give me a patient and they become my sole priority. My training overrode my need to go after you."  
Roy looked up at her.  
"I was never in any danger. We were just having trouble getting down the stairs."  
"But I didn't _know_ that."  
Roy saw the pained look in her eyes. He thought carefully about what to say next. He didn't want to scare her away with the reality of a firefighter's job, but she needed to understand it as well.  
"I understand, Amy, I really do. It is a dangerous job. I wish I could tell you that that fire was the worst of it, but I can't. It will get much more dangerous. What you need to understand is, Johnny and I have been doing this a long time. We are good at what we do. We have each other's backs, and we have yours. You need to trust that we know what we're doing, and we can get out of most any trouble we get into. And besides, you're not going to be 'just' an EMT for much longer. The next class is in three months. Then, if we run into a burning building, you can follow." smiled Roy.  
Amy gave him a half-hearted smile.  
"Thanks, Roy. I do trust you. Like you said, you've been doing this for a long time."  
"We have."  
She smiled and nodded her head.  
"Feel better?" asked Roy.  
"I do, I really do. Thank you." Amy said, sincerely.  
"Anytime," Roy stood up, "well, if you're still hungry, we better get in there before Johnny eats everything. He's always hungry as a goat after a fire."  
Amy stood up to join him.  
"You're right. I'm starving."  
Roy opened the door and turned to her.  
"I know this job can get rough. If you ever need to talk to someone, I'm here."  
"Thanks again, Roy. I appreciate it."  
He smiled and gave her a nod as he headed out the door, Amy in tow.

They walked in to the sight of Johnny shoveling down food as if he'd been starved for a week.  
"Slow down, partner. I don't feel like doing the Heimlich today." Roy said as he sat down next to him. Amy took the chair at the corner facing them.  
"Sorry. I was really hungry."  
"Obviously. Remember to save some for the guys. You know how Cap gets when he's hungry." warned Roy.  
"That's true." said Johnny through a full mouth.  
"So, Johnny, you still want to hear my fire story?" asked Amy.  
He looked at her, surprised, before turning to Roy, then back to her.  
"Yeah, I mean, if you want. You didn't seem like you wanted to share earlier." he said after swallowing down his food.  
"I'm fine now," she smiled warmly at Roy, "Well let's see. It was about two years ago, before I became an IV Tech. Can't exactly remember what month, but I know there was snow on the ground."  
"That's something we usually don't have to worry about." said Roy, handing a plate of spahgetti to her before getting one for himself.  
"Yeah, lucky you," she took the plate from Roy. "Thanks. Anyway, I was off duty, driving a friend home after work. It was starting to get dark out. We were heading out of town, through the area of the highway where the bridge crosses the river. There's a very small town there with a few houses along the roadway. So I'm coming around the corner and suddenly look up to see 10 foot flames coming out the front of this house. Of course the first thing I'm thinking is 'Oh my God!'. I didn't see any emergency vehicles, so I pulled over. As I'm grabbing my gear, I tell my friend to stay in my truck. Didn't want her getting hit on the side of the road. I also had no idea what the scene was going to look like, and the last thing I wanted was for her to see it and have nightmares for the rest of her life."  
"Good thinking. I often forget that normal people can't handle some of the stuff we've seen." said Roy.  
"Normal people? What does that make us then?" asked Johnny.  
"Crazy."  
Johnny thought a moment.  
"Okay, I can live with that."  
"Some more than others." Roy winked at Amy.  
"You calling me a nut?" asked Johnny.  
"Yes, but you're a friendly kind of nut."  
Johnny glared at Roy, who shrugged it off.  
"Continue." coaxed Roy.  
"Okay. So as I'm heading towards the house I had somebody stop who happened to have a car phone. I had them call 911 and continued. I finally get to the house that's standing a few yards away from the one that's on fire, which by this point was completely engulfed. I could already tell it was a complete loss. There's three people standing outside, one of them crying and blaming himself, saying it was his fault. First thing I ask is if anybody was still inside. Thank god there wasn't. Even the dog got out. I tell them I'm an emt and I called 911, and they pointed to the man crying, saying he was burned. It was dark by now, so I got him inside the house to get a better look. It was apparent to me immediately that he was in bad shape. His clothes were almost completely burned. And this is where I pause the story because we're eating, and it gets pretty graphic."  
"So you mean to tell me, you just happened to be there right after it started?" asked Johnny.  
"Yep. The people involved hadn't even gotten to the phone yet. I was the very first on scene." said Amy as she took a bite.  
"And you had gear?"  
"Sort of. I carry what we call a 'blue bag', or 'scene' bag. Basically, everything you guys carrying in the trauma box I have in my bag, plus IV supplies, Airway supplies and an O2 bottle. But, of course, I didn't have all that stuff at the time of the fire, just the trauma stuff."  
"You're like a rolling arsenal against death, aren't you?" said Johnny as he got up to help Roy clean up.  
"I like to be prepared." she shrugged.  
"Nothing wrong with that," said Roy, "So you have the 911 system already in place up there in Washington?"

"Yep. Just started the beginning of this year. In my opinion, it's easier than calling Fire Dispatch. Much easier number to remember in an emergency."  
"I can see the logic. Since we're done eating, go ahead and continue your story." said Roy.  
Roy was glad to see some excitement enter into her again. He could tell that their talk had done her some good.  
"Well the best part is, right after I got everybody in the house, the electric company happened to be driving by as well, so they were able to cut the power. It was not easy working under a flashlight."  
"That seems to be a common thing with you." said Roy, remembering the earlier call.  
"More often than I like. But even with the lack of light, I could tell this guy was critical. I cut off his shirts, didn't even touch his shorts. They were those work out shorts made from that plastic nylon material, so they were literally melted to him. He had third degree burns to most of his upper body and all four extremities. Worse burns I've ever seen. Like the skin was melting off of him." Amy gave an unvoluntary shiver, the images flashing through her memory.  
"Really? I've never seen burns like that before." said Johnny as he dried the dishes Roy handed him.  
"It was different. I felt completely unprepared. But I got my head right and started assessing him. He had facial burns, so I started there. I checked his mouth and sure enough, it was burned all the way back. But I kept him calm and took vitals. I asked him what happened, and you won't believe what he told me."  
"Electrical?" asked Johnny.  
"Propane explosion?" asked Roy.  
"Nailed it!" Amy pointed at Roy, "but not what you think. This guy had been trying to light the propane fireplace, but it wouldn't light, so he _disconnected the hose_-"  
"No!" Johnny exclaimed.  
"Yep. Filled the whole place with gas, then tried to light the hose with his_ lighter_-"  
"And took a fireball to the face. Instant inferno." Johnny couldn't believe the stupidity of some people.  
"Exactly. So just as he's finishes telling me, one of my medic, Chris, comes through the door. I had never been so happy to see my guys in my entire life! I told him the patient was critical and gave him a quick rundown. That's when the guy says that there was another person that had been inside. My heart stopped for a second, until they told me she was in the next room. It had been so dark that I hadn't even seen her. So my medic calls our other team to respond. We load the first patient onto the gurney and take him outside. Of course the place is covered in ice, and everybody was in a hurry, so people were sliding every which way. We had to go by the front of the burning house to get to our rig, and just as we get close, the upper porch collapses. It was so close I could feel the heat on my face. But thank god we weren't near enough for it to harm us.  
We intubated the patient and they ran code to the hospital while I went back to the other patient to wait for the second ambulance."  
"And by this time, you're running off pure adrenaline." said Roy as the two joined her at the table again.  
"Uh pretty much. I hadn't even seen the second patient yet, and I was hoping she wasn't as bad as the first, otherwise I would have really been in trouble."  
"Was she?" asked Johnny.  
"No, not as bad. She had some small third degree burns to her hands, and a second degree to her forehead. I guess as she ran out of the house, she stripped off her clothes cuz she didn't know if they were on fire or not. Judging by her hands, it's safe to assume they had been."  
"That's impressive. Most people in that kind of situation panic. She probably saved herself a lot of injury by doing that." said Roy.  
"She did, and I told her that. About ten minutes later, the second ambulance got there and we loaded her up. We got her bandaged up and ready to go by the time the ambulance from the city we were transporting to go there. Our rig needed to stay on scene in case a firefighter got injured, that's why we passed her off. It wasn't until we got our rig back together that the medic, Shaun, stopped and looked at me, realizing that I wasn't wearing my uniform, just street clothes. He asked 'how did you get here anyways? Did you ride in with someone?' I explained everything to him, which he replied 'wow, talk about being at the right place at the right time'.  
After the fire was under control, I went and talked with the woman who owned the house I had used for triage. I calmed her down, told her she had done a great job. Even checked out the dog, which was fine. Then I went on my way. And that's my fire story."  
"Well, that's one heck of a story." said Johnny.  
"That's what makes a great Paramedic, EMT in your case. Being able to work with what you have." said Roy.  
"Well, since then, I always make sure I carry my gear. I never want to be left without it again. Not like it made a huge difference in that case. Only other thing I could have done was maybe put them on oxygen, but that's it. Anyways, wonder where the rest of the guys are at." Amy suddenly noticed they were still absent.  
"Yeah, they should have been back by-" Johnny stopped talking as the sound of the approaching engine reached them.  
"Now," smiled Roy, "I need to go talk to Cap. I'll be right back."  
"We'll be here," said Johnny. He turned towards the door as Roy left the room, replaced by the rest of the men.  
"Save any food for us, Gage?" asked Chet.  
"Yes, Chet. It's still here," said Johnny, turning to look at Amy, "you know this is the last day of our shift right?"  
"Yes, Johnny. I know the schedule." Amy replied, exasperated.  
"What you gonna do on your days off?"  
"Why? You gonna ask her out to dinner or somethin'?" asked Chet.  
"Chet, why is it that whenever I ask a girl about what she's doing, you automatically assume I'm going to ask her on a date?" asked Johnny, defensively.  
"Because you do." Chet shot back.  
Johnny thought a moment, "Okay you got me there, but not this time. I'm just trying to get to know my new partner. Is there a problem with that?"  
"Never thought I'd see the day when you wanted to talk about something other than yourself."  
"Oh shut it, Chet."  
"Now boys, stop the arguing. You sound like an old married couple." said Amy.  
Marco choked on his food, trying to hold back a laugh. Johnny and Chet glared at each other for a moment, then went back to what they were doing.  
"I'm unpacking." said Amy.  
"What?"Johnny turned to her again.  
"You asked what I'm doing. I'm finishing unpacking."  
"You actually found an apartment?" asked Marco.  
"No. I moved into my grandma's house, to help her out."  
"Right. You mentioned that before." said Mike.  
"What exactly is her problem?" asked Johnny.  
"Well the doctor's aren't exactly sure yet. She's starting to lose her eye sight. She won't drive at night anymore. But she is also having dizzy spells and shortness of breath."  
"Sounds like early heart block symptoms." said Johnny.  
"Well that's what I thought at first too, and her doctor's. But all the tests came back negative. They're looking into a possible cardiac problem. Heart attacks do run on that side of my family."  
"Have they run EKG's? X-rays?" asked Johnny.  
"Yes, but nothing yet. I'm taking her to an appointment with a specialist tomorrow afternoon. Until then, we just have to wait and see."  
"Well that's good that you're there then. Having the medical training that you have, you'll be great to have around if something happens."  
"Yeah. A lot better than my...nevermind." she seemed to have been lost in a train of thought.  
"Better than what?" Johnny prodded.  
"Oh, nothing. It's just good I'm here. Excuse me, I need to make a phone call."  
The boys found it odd how abruptly she had stopped the conversation, and now she was heading out to the parking lot. There weren't any phones out there.  
"Huh, that was strange." said Chet.  
"Wonder what's up." said Marco.  
"Well, she has had a very trying first day." said Mike.  
"True. But at least we were able to get a good look at how she works." said Marco.  
"Tell me about it." Johnny added.

The crew had started a movie when Cap and Roy finally joined them. They had cleaned up already, leaving dinner for Cap.  
"Where did Amy wander off to?" asked Roy.  
"She headed out to the parking lot, last I saw. Said she was going to call someone." said Marco.  
"From the parking lot?" asked Cap.  
"That's what she said." said Chet.  
"How long ago?" asked Roy.  
"Oh, bout fifteen minutes ago." said Johnny.  
"I'll go check on her then."  
"Don't think she can take care of herself in a parking lot?" asked Johnny.  
"No, I needed to talk to her, if you must know."  
"Alright, alright." Johnny threw up his hands in submission.

Roy huffed at him before walking out the door. He spotted Amy standing with her back to him, next to a blue ford pickup, her hand up by her face. As he neared her, he caught the last few sentences of a conversation.  
"Yes. I'm off at 8 in the morning, so I'll be home shortly after. I know grandma, I will. Okay, talk to you later. I love you too. Goodnight."  
He saw her open up the door and realized that she had a car phone, which is what she had been using.  
"Don't see too many of those around. Must have been pretty spendy."  
Amy spun around at the sound of his voice, startled.  
"Oh! Hey Roy. Didn't see you there. My grandma had the phone put in for me. She worries about me too much. Just checking in on her."  
"Everything okay?"  
"Oh yeah. She's been having some medical problems lately and I check in on her. Stuff like dizzy spells. Last thing I need is for her to fall and hit her head, or break a hip or something."  
"Has she been to the doctor?"  
"Yeah, but they don't know what's wrong. All her tests are coming back negative. I'm taking her to a specialist tomorrow."  
"Is she living by herself?"  
"Oh no. I moved in with her into her house. My cousin lives there too, but he's...well let's just say he's not reliable."  
"Well surely if you're grandma needed help he would do something, at least call someone."  
Amy half laughed, smiling to herself.  
"You don't know my cousin."  
Roy could tell it was a touchy subject for her, so he changed the conversation.  
"I actually wanted to talk to you about something."  
"Oh boy, what did I do? I haven't been here long enough to get into trouble." smirked Amy.  
Roy smiled back, "No, no, nothing like that. I just talked to Cap. He's going to call the Battalion Chief in the morning. We're going to get you set up with your own turnout gear."  
"Turn out gear," Amy looked at Roy with a puzzled expression, "but I thought only firemen had turnout gear."  
"Well, if the Chief okays it, you will be by our next shift. Well, a trainee, anyways."  
"What?" Amy wasn't sure she had heard him right.  
"I talked to Cap about what you said about that fire earlier. I asked him if there was any way we could at least get you trained on the gear, and possible rescues. You don't have to be a certified firefighter for that."  
"Roy, are you serious?" she asked, still schocked.  
"Yep. I figured, since you've done just about every type of rescue in the book, you could handle a fire rescue. What do you say?"  
A huge grin crossed her face as she leaped forward, wrapping her arms around him in a hug.  
"Thank you, Roy. You don't know how much that means to me."  
"Oh I think I got the jest of it." he grinned.  
Amy stepped back from him.  
"I really don't know how to thank you. You've done so much for me already. I appreciate it," she glanced at the ground, "I have a confession to make."  
"You're not really an emt." Roy joked. Amy looked back at him.  
"No, I am. Seriously though, I didn't think I was going to last here."  
"Why do you say that? From what I've seen so far, you are great at your job. We're glad to have you."  
"That's good to hear. But it wasn't the job, per sé. It was, well, the guys."  
"The guys? You're not talking about that stunt Chet pulled on you earlier, are you?"  
"A little. But that didn't really bother me as much as how Johnny acted towards me."  
"Oh. He's always like that. Don't let him get to you. He's just young and-"  
"A male?"  
Roy cocked his head slightly at her comment.  
"No offense to you, Roy. I feel that, ever since I walked through the door, Johnny has seen himself as superior to me, because I'm a woman."  
Roy knew she had hit the nail on the head, but he didn't want to cause anymore tension between the two, even if it did seem that Johnny was starting to warm up to her.  
"Why do you say that?" asked Roy.  
"Oh come on, Roy. You know what I'm talking about. His first words? 'A girl'? I tried to ignore it, but he was being so judgmental. I'm a very competent emt, and I'm not used to being judged on my medical skills because of my sex. It's very...immature!"  
Roy couldn't help but smile to himself. Her show of spirit reminded him so much of Johnny. She was a hard one. Calm and collected one moment, but get her worked up over something and she's a spitfire the next. He had a feeling that Johnny was in for a taste of his own medicine.  
"I know. Johnny can be a prejudice blockhead sometimes. And you are right, but not in the way you think. Yes, he was quick to judge because you weren't a man, but only because he based it on our experience." said Roy.  
"Experience?" Amy was still fuming, but she kept her voice down.  
"We've had experience with woman out in the field, whether it be a trainee riding along with us, or someone else, such as a nurse. They couldn't keep up with the demands of the job. Oh sure, they were knowledgeable, but they couldn't keep up with the physical demand."  
"I see now," Amy's temper cooling, "it is a taxing job, physically, and I will agree that not every woman can do this. But still, Johnny shouldn't have judged me before he even got to know me."  
"You're right, he shouldn't have. But it also has to do with trust."  
"Trust? How so?" asked Amy.

"Well," Roy thought about how much to diclose to her about his young partner. "Johnny has a bit of a trust issue. It takes longer to gain his trust, but once you do, you have it for life. Just give him some time."  
"Okay I can understand that." said Amy, thoughtfully."I'm glad we got it sorted out then."  
"So you're staying then?" Roy asked, hopeful.  
"If you want me, then I guess I could stay a _bit_ longer." Amy said with a wink.  
"Absolutely." Roy returned the gesture.  
"Well then, I guess we better get inside. Cap is probably wondering where half his medical team is at." said Amy, heading towards the station's back door.  
"Two-thirds." Roy corrected.  
"You know what I mean." Amy shot back over her shoulder. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Wednesday morning's 9 o'clock found Amy pulling into Rampart's visitor parking lot. After finding a big enough spot for her truck, she locked up and headed for the main entrance. Although it was a casual meeting with Dr. Brackett, she had dressed professionally in a light blue button up shirt, black jacket and black slacks. She had even put on her pair of high heel boots, something she rarely did, being much more comfortable in her work boots. She didn't know what the doctor wanted to talk to her about, but she still wanted to make a good impression either way.

She got a little lost once or twice trying to find the Emergency Department from the hospital's main entrance, finally getting directed to an elevator from an understanding nurse. As the elevator doors opened, Amy breathed a sigh of relief, spotting the familiar blonde sitting at the Nurse's station.

"I'm so glad I found a familiar face!" said Amy as she walked towards Dixie, who was seated with her head buried in paperwork. Dixie looked up at the approaching woman and smiled.

"Well good morning! You look great! How are you?" she asked.

"Much better, now that I finally found the ED. This hospital is going to take some getting used to. And a map." Amy added as an afterthought.

"Get a little lost, did you?" Dixie joked back.

"Just a little. Is Dr. Brackett around?" asked Amy, glancing down the hallway.

"I believe he's finishing up with a patient," Dixie glanced at Treatment Room 2's door, "Shouldn't be long now. Want a cup of coffee while you wait?"

"You have no idea how good that sounds. Didn't get any this morning." Dixie noted the lack of sleep in Amy's voice, having heard it several times before from her fellow care givers.

"Follow me." Dixie smiled as she stood up and led the young woman into the coffee room. She filled two cups and handed one to the already seated woman, taking a seat herself.

"So, how you liking the Golden State so far?" asked Dixie.

Amy took a sip from her cup before answering.

"It's a big change from the Evergreen State." She , feeling a twinge of homesickness.

"Missing home?" asked Dixie, seeing look on Amy's face.

"A lot. I miss the mountains, the pine trees….the fresh air." she added.

"Hey, we may not have the cleanest air around, but at least you get your daily amount of minerals in one breath." smiled Dixie.

"Never thought of it like that," Amy laughed. "Either way, I need to get to the mountains soon. Know any places around here to go camping?"

"Do I look like someone who goes camping?" asked Dixie.

"I don't think I'm going to answer that," smiled Amy, "what about hiking? Fishing?"

"Again, I wouldn't know."

"City girl born and raised, aye?"

"Big time. Why don't you ask the guys at the station?" asked Dixie, knowing that most of them did at least a little outdoors type activity.

Amy lightly slapped her forehead. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You have only known them for, what, a day?" asked Dixie.

"True, true. So let me guess, Mike is the one to talk to."

"I'm not so sure about Mike. I was thinking of Roy or Johnny. Even Chet." said Dixie.

"Johnny? Really? I took him for a city boy." Amy was re-thinking her first impression of her new, high-strung partner.

"Oh no, quite the opposite. Both him and Roy are avid rock-climbers, hikers, fishermen….really anything that has to do with a mountain, lake…rocks." Dixie smiled, thinking lovingly about her two favorite paramedics.

"I'll talk with Roy then. Thanks for the tip." Amy took a sip from her cup.

"No problem. I do have to ask, what is going on between you and Johnny? Did he say something that upset you?" asked Dixie, knowing that he had a habit of doing that, unintentionally, of course.

"You've noticed." Amy stated, setting down her cup.

"Apart from having a job that requires the ability to pay attention to detail, I'm also a woman." said Dixie.

Amy gave a nod in agreement.

"Well-"

The door opened as Dr.'s Brackett and Early entered.

"So this is where the party's at." said Early, grabbing a cup of coffee.

"Oh yes. Just need a Disco Ball and we're in business." Dixie shot back.

"I could go for some redecorating. And who is this lovely lady you're talking with?" asked Joe, extending a hand towards Amy.

Amy stood up to greet the older doctor.

"Sorry, I forgot you two haven't officially met. Joe, this is Amy Scheimer, one of our new EMT's. Amy, Dr. Joe Early. He's the other physician on staff in the ED." Brackett introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you, Amy." Early shook the young woman's hand.

"You too, Dr. Early."

"Kel's told me a lot about you. He also tells me you're from Washington. Must be a big change for you." said Early.

"Dixie and I were just talking about that." Amy flashed a smile at the nurse.

"I would like to stay and talk some more, but Mike has a patient in Room 5 he wants me to take a look at. I'll see you later." said Early, setting down his full coffee cup.

"See you later, Doc." said Amy as he left the room.

"I need to get back, too. Good talking with you Amy. I'll see you around, for sure." said Dixie with a smile, putting her cup in the sink.

"I'm sure you will, Dixie." Amy replied.

"Oh, Amy," Dixie stopped at the door, turning back to the other woman, "Take it easy on him. He really is a good guy." She winked.

Amy nodded her head in response, winking back.

Dixie left the room, leaving the two alone.

"Let's go to my office. The chairs are more comfortable." smiled Brackett.

"Sounds better already." Smiled Amy, walking though the door Brackett held open.

She took a seat in the chair across from Brackett's desk while he closed the door.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked, still confused as to the reason for this meeting.

"I wanted to talk about the Cardiac you had yesterday." Brackett leaned against the front of his desk.

Amy's heart skipped a beat.

"Did I do something wrong? Is the patient okay?" she asked nervously.

"No, no, he's fine. He's better than fine, actually. We have him in an induced coma to allow his injuries to heal, but he's recovering nicely."

Amy relaxed, relieved at the patient's improving condition.

"Then what would you like to know?" nervousness still etched in her voice.

"I want to know, from you, what happened. _Exactly _what did you do during the time before and after the patient arrested." said Brackett. He was hoping he could find out if it was a skill, or knowledge he could teach to others. Anything that would help better the patient's survival of a Cardiac Arrest in the field.

"Oh, well let me think. His BP was dropping, no matter how much fluid I was pumping into him, and heart rate was rising. Then he went into V-Tach." Amy recalled the change of events.

"But how did you _know _that?" asked Brackett.

"The cardiogram read an absent P wave preceding a wide QSR. " Amy said quickly, almost defensively.

"And how do you know that? Reading and diagnosing heart arrhythmias in the field is not something that is taught on the EMT level, mainly because they can't do much about them without a paramedic's intervention." Brackett explained.

"Oh, the medics I worked with taught me," Amy stated rather quickly, "I asked them to teach me the different arrhythmias and how to read them on a cardiogram. I know I can't really do anything about them without the ability of drug therapy, but I like to know. I'm a sponge for information."

"I like that. Willingness to learn. I have to admit, I was a little hesitant about taking your word on the V-Tach. Until he arrested, that is." Brackett smiled sheepishly.

"That's understandable, Doc. You haven't worked with me long enough to trust my abilities yet. But I will tell you this; I do not falsify ANYTHING in my reports. If I don't know something, I'll say so, but if I know a patient is in V-Tach, A-Fib, even a possible dissecting aneurism, I'll say so, because I know, accurately, what those symptoms are and what they look like. I'm not an emergency medical guru, and I certainly don't want to come off as that, but I do have a lot of knowledge and experience." Amy was hoping she had brought her point across successfully.

Brackett thought for a moment before laughing to himself. "I think you'll fit right in around here."

"Thanks." Amy smiled.

"Go ahead and continue." he urged.

"Let's see, he went into V-Tach and then into V-Fib. I administered a shock at 300 with no conversion. I administered a second shock at 400, at which point the patient went into A-systole. I then proceeded with a precordial thump and began compressions."

"What was your rate?" This is what Brackett really wanted to know, how she had performed single rescuer CPR. Although they don't normally teach it, she had somehow figured out a system that had worked.

"20 compressions then two breaths with O2." Amy said, frankly. She knew she hadn't followed her exact training, but then again, she hadn't been taught to perform CPR without another person. If Brackett got angry, he probably had a right to be.

"20 compressions then two breaths. How did you figure out you could go that long without respirations?" he asked, becoming more intrigued.

"I worked it out in my head. The blood usually has enough oxygen in it to last at least 10 minutes after arresting, correct?" she asked, wanting confirmation as well.

"That is correct. That was safe to assume in this situation as well, considering you had been pumping pure O2 into him. And doing the prolonged amount of compressions probably helped get his pressure up, too. I will say I'm impressed that you were able to figure that out in your situation." Brackett said thoughtfully. Although it was a smart move on her part, and more than likely accounted for the patient's survival, he realized they had come across a gray area in their training program.

"Thanks, Doc. I will say I'd rather not have to repeat it any time soon, though."

"I hope you don't either. But you have brought up an important point in doing so. We need to make sure all our EMS personnel are trained to know how to perform CPR in the off chance they do have to do it themselves. I'm going to contact the Board of Health and talk to them about it. Thank you for your help. Unfortunately, our system down here isn't perfect yet, but it's something I intend on improving."

"Thanks, Doc. Glad I could help. The EMS field itself is just getting started. Of course it's going to have a few bugs in it, but at least it has people in it that care enough about our patients to strive for improvement."

"How old are you, again?" asked Brackett, stunned.

"Doc, you should know better than to ask a woman her age." smiled Amy.

Brackett let out a laugh, becoming more relaxed.

"I just meant-you seem so mature and sound-minded. It's hard to remember you are so young."

"24 is fairly young, yes. But as my dad tells me, age is just a number."

"Very true." Brackett had to admit. He had to figure out a way to get trainees back on the squad with her and the boys. Possibly even see if she would be able to instruct. They needed more people like them in the field. "Just out of curiousity, what did your father do before he became an EMT? You said he'd been in the field for awhile."

"Oh, well let me think here. He told me that he joined the fire department right out of high school. He was in Louisville, Kentucky at the time, and studied under Dr. Arnold, oh gosh, what's his name-"

"Griswold?" prompted Brackett.

"That's it! Griswold."

"I had the pleasure of meeting him at a conference a few years back. I thought he was only training police officers to perform medical procedures, though."

"At the time, yes, but my dad took an interest in medicine after joining the department. Like me, he's a sponge for information. So he convinced Dr. Griswold to let him sit in on one of the classes, and he was hooked instantly. He worked pretty close with the doctor for a few years and then moved back to Cali and met my mother. He got on with another department, another hospital, and continued his quest for medical knowledge. All in the name of the patient." smiled Amy.

"It is all about the patient, when you come right down to it." agreed Brackett.

"Absolutely. Well, unfortunately, and as you well know, Vietnam happened."

"Mmm. Unfortunately, yes." Brackett shifted to lean on his other leg, suddenly noticing the numbness and tingling in his other.

"Dad went off to war, but as you can guess, he was in the medical field. He still doesn't like to talk about it, but now that I'm older, and doing a similar job, he's starting to open up about some cases. I can't imagine what he saw and had to dealt with." Amy added the last part, mostly for herself, as she looked at the floor, remembering the look in her dad's eyes when she had first asked him about the war. She hoped she wouldn't have to see it again.

"It was a very difficult time. I was there myself."

He didn't need to say anymore. Amy already knew by the look on his face.

"Well, on a brighter note, after he got back, he moved the whole family up to Washington. The rest, as they say, is history."

"Well, that clears up a lot of questions. Now that I've kept you long enough and thoroughly picked your brain, I'll stop myself so you can continue with your day." smiled Brackett.

"Okay, Doc. It's not like this is the last time we'll have a chance to chat, anyhow." she stood up as Brackett headed for his door.

"Not in the least. But again, thanks for your insight. And great job, on that patient. I'll let you know how he's getting along." Brackett held open the door.

"I appreciate that-"

"_Dr. Brackett, Treatment Room 5. Dr. Brackett, Treatment Room 5." _

"Back to work, I guess." said Brackett.

"Alright, Doc. I'll see you later." Amy smiled as he turned and headed in the other direction.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Amy pulled into the station's parking lot. It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and she was extremely happy to be at the station, and away from the house. She laughed to herself as she parked; thinking how ironic it was that she would be more relaxed at work than at home.

She saw the C-shift's cars and Cap's, realizing she was the first one from A-shift to arrive. Well, at least she would have the locker room to herself. She walked in and saw that the bay was empty.

_ They must be out on a call._ She thought to herself

"Kelly, is that you?" she heard Cap's voice call out

"Nope, just me, Cap." she poked her head into his office.  
"Oh, good morning, Amy. Chet's usually the first one in. Nice to see we have another early bird."

"Don't worry, it won't last. Just trying to make a good impression on my Captain." Amy smiled wryly.  
"Well as long as you show up before Gage does, you'll be alright."  
"He always late?"  
"Every time."  
"Note to self; beat Gage to work and you're off the hook."  
Cap smiled up at her before getting back to his paperwork.  
"C-shift is out on a run, so you should snag the locker room while you can. Coffee is fresh, when you're ready."  
"Thanks Cap. I'll do just that. 

She came up to her locker, which was in the very back of the room. She figured Cap had arranged it that way on purpose to give her more privacy. As she changed into her uniform, she couldn't help but think about the events of her days off.

She had taken her grandma to the cardiologist like she had said, but he hadn't found anything either. He had prescribed an anticoagulant as a precaution, and it seemed to have helped. At least her grandmother's headaches had gone away, but she was still having boughts of difficulty breathing. Her cousin hadn't been much help either. If only he would just move out. His "activities", if she could even call them that, needed to stop. But that wasn't even her biggest concern. It was the type of crowd he let come over to the house. She had just recently found out that one of his friends was on probation for armed robbery and possession of a firearm. Although she was totally uncomfortable being there with her cousin around, she stayed for her grandma. At least the revolver she kept tucked under her pillow put her mind at ease most of the time.

She heard the door to the station open and a familiar "Good morning, Cap" before Chet sauntered into the locker room. He saw Amy walk out from behind the lockers, fastening the last top buttons of her shirt, and stopped dead in his tracks.  
"I'm so sorry. Didn't know you were in here." he apologized as he looked down and quickly backed out of the room  
"Chet it's ok. I'm dressed anyways. You can come back in." she smiled at his obvious embarrassment as his cheeks flushed red.  
He slowly re-entered the room.  
"I am sorry. Not used to a girl being here."  
"Don't worry about it. I would have locked the door. I'm used to living with men. It was only me and one other female emt back home."  
Chet nodded his head, still red, as he made his way to his own locker. He started to take off his shirt when he realized something. He stopped and turned to Amy. She saw the look on his face and rolled her eyes.  
"I'm leaving, Chet. Jeesh."  
She poked her head into Cap's office again.  
"Hey Cap, need a refill?" she asked, pointing to his mug.  
He looked up at her smiling face.  
"Yeah, sure. Thanks."  
She grabbed his mug and headed into the dayroom. After filling Cap's mug and one for herself, she went back to the office.  
"Here you go, Cap."  
"Thanks. I'm not used to such service."  
"Anytime."  
She turned to leave, but was stopped by his voice.  
"Oh, Amy wait. I was going to talk to you about something. I've been so deep in paperwork I almost forgot."  
"Not a problem. What's up?" she took a seat next to his desk.  
"Did Roy talk to you about what him and I discussed yesterday?"  
"He did."  
"How do you feel about it?"  
"Well, to be honest, that was one of the reasons I came here. To become a firefighter. If you are okay with it, I would love to start training on the gear and rescues."  
"Good to hear that because I just spoke with the Chief."  
"And?"  
"And he okayed it. Part of it. He spoke with Dr. Brackett over at Rampart this morning and he said that Brackett agreed it was a benefit to have you trained in the rescue aspect as soon as possible. It is, however, a huge liability, not to mention dangerous, for you, seeing as you have no prior training in fire rescue. We will be training you on how to use the hoses and what not, but not on any calls, not till you've gone through the class. The main part is to get you trained and comfortable with the equipment first."  
"I totally agree with you, Cap. After all, safety is in my job description. It's a bad practice to make a patient out of yourself, or your partner, for that matter."

"Glad to see you understand. Nice to have somebody who has _some _sense around here." Cap quickly looked towards the door, making sure nobody was within hearing distance. He leaned over his desk , looking at Amy, and said quietly, "If you ever repeat that to the guys, I'll deny it."

Amy let out a much needed laugh.

"Cross my heart, Cap. Cross my heart."

Cap smiled. He was really taking a shine to this young woman.

"So, when _do_ I get my gear?" Amy asked as her laughter subsided, beside herself with joy.  
"The Chief will be putting in the order today. He still has your measurements at the office. They should be in by tomorrow."  
"Great! Can't wait."  
"Alright then. I gotta get back to this paperwork. I'll announce roll call here in a few minutes."  
"Alrighty."

Amy was sitting on the couch, reading the paper, Boot lounging at her feet; when one by one the men of A-shift trickled in, save for Johnny, as usual. C-shift had already returned from their call and were heading home after a long night.  
"Mornin' Roy." Amy greeted, looking up from the paper as Roy walked in.  
"Mornin'. How are you?" he said, heading straight for the coffee pot.  
"I'm doing fantastic!"  
He turned and looked at her, suspicious of her excitement.  
"Somebody is a morning person."  
She shrugged, "depends on the morning, and this happens to be a very good morning."  
She spied Johnny walking towards them through the doorway, followed by a "Good mornin', good mornin'."  
"I lied." she said quietly.  
Roy hid a smirk behind his mug, "Morning Johnny. So Amy, how were you're first days off?"  
"Pretty mundane," she lied, "got finished unpacking. Went shopping. Just stayed around the house, really."  
"At least you're unpacked. That's most of the battle."  
"Yeah it's one less thing to worry about."  
Cap entered the dayroom and spotted Johnny, stopping to stare at him. Johnny caught Cap's actions.  
"What?"  
"Is it a full moon?" asked Cap.  
"No, why? Cap, you feeling okay?" asked Johnny, beginning to feel concerned.  
"You're on time."  
"Say, that's right. Gage, you feeling okay?" asked Chet.  
Cap continued towards the coffee pot, Roy moving over to give him room.  
"I'm fine. Why is it such a big deal. Yes, I'm 'on time'. Not like the end of the world is coming."  
"It must be, or a shift in the universe."  
"Chet, it's too early for this."  
"Well we know who ISN'T as morning person."  
"I've never been a morning person."  
"Unless he's had a good date the night before." said Roy.  
"Roy, don't you start either."  
Amy continued to smile as she hid behind her paper, listening to the argument.  
"Fellas, pipe down, would ya? Roll call in 5 minutes." said Cap.  
"Yes Cap." the whole room replied.  
They all finished up their coffee and headed out to stand in line by the engine. Everybody, except for Roy, did a double take when Amy walked in. Apparently, the uniform hat looked really good on a woman. She caught their looks and smiled. Men.  
Cap walked in with his clipboard and everybody stood at attention.  
"Well, first things first. I've got some great news,"  
Amy grinned from ear to ear, knowing what was coming.  
"The Chief and I have talked, and Amy will be training on the gear and rescues starting immediately."  
They all turned to her, Roy patting her on the shoulder.  
"Hey, great job." he said, giving her a wink.  
She returned the favor.  
"Roy, you and Johnny can start her on the gear today. We'll have to wait until her turnout gear gets here before we go into rescues and what-not. We don't have a lot on the docket today. The hose house is empty, so I want 600ft of hose hung by lunch. Amy, you can help them out if you have the time."  
"Will do, Cap." she replied.  
Cap continued to assign shift duties to the men. Amy was to pair up with Roy and Johnny until she learned the duties on her own. To everyone's dismay, Chet had pulled meal duty. Amy made a note to herself to try and steer him in the right direction, if she could. The beef stew with cherries had greatly concerned her.  
After showing Amy how to do the morning squad and radio check, Roy pulled out his gear.  
"Alright. So this is the turnout gear. I know mine will be too big, but at least you'll learn how to get it on."  
"Okay. Coat first?" asked Amy, taking the coat from him. She had already put her helmet on.  
"Yep." He helped her get it fastened closed, then grabbed the tank, "The tank's valve should always be pointed down."  
He helped her get her arms through the loops and clipped on the straps. Then he showed her how to put the mask on and make sure there was flow from the tank.  
He took a step back, Johnny leaning against the squad next to him. A smile broke out across both their faces.  
"Do I really look that ridiculous?" Amy's voice muffled behind the mask.  
"What?" asked Roy, holding back a chuckle. Amy pulled the mask off her face.  
"I said, do I really look that ridiculous."  
"Well-" began Roy.  
"You look like a 3 year old that got into her daddy's gear." laughed Johnny.  
She glared menacingly at him.  
"Well, you _act_ like a 3 year old in _his_ daddy's uniform." she shot back, taking off the tank.  
"Your own gear will fit a lot better. Don't worry about it," Roy cut in before Johnny could say anything back, "want to try and see how fast you can get it all on?"  
"Are you kidding? This coat is WAY too big. I'll get trapped in it before anything else. I'll wait for my own gear, thank you very much." she handed the coat back to Roy, "but thank you."  
"You're welcome. Well, the only other thing we got to do is mop up the bay." said Roy, putting the gear back in the squad. Johnny grabbed the bucket and mops and the trio started on the floor.  
"How did the visit to the doctor go?" Roy asked Amy.  
"They didn't find anything, if that's what you mean."  
"Really? That's odd."  
"I know. They did prescribe her an anticoagulant, Warfrin, if I remember correctly. It's helping her headaches, but that's it."

"Nothing as far as a brain bleed or clot?" asked Johnny.  
Amy shook her head, "So far everything has checked out." She stopped and leaned against her mop, "Hey Roy, you think it might be a good idea to bring her into Rampart? Have Doc Brackett or Early take a look at her?"  
Roy stopped and looked at her, thinking a minute.  
"Wouldn't be a bad idea. They both are pretty good at finding things that others can't. If we go to Rampart today, talk to one of them. Explain the situation. I'm sure they'll take a look at her."  
"That's what I figured. I'll talk to my grandma about it, too. I just want this to get resolved. It makes me nervous, not being at the house."  
"Is she there by herself?" asked Johnny.  
"Not technically. My cousin is there, but he's not reliable."  
"How so?"  
"He's-just not." she continued mopping. Johnny looked at Roy questionably. Roy gave him his 'leave it alone' look and continued mopping as well.

The rest of the day was fairly quiet. Amy had gotten in a lot of training, and had somehow managed to help Chet make a lunch and dinner that looked like food to the crew. They had just finished dinner when the tones went out.

"_Station 51, motor vehicle accident, intersection  
of Crawford and Alan. Crawford and Alan. Law  
enforcement is on scene. Time out 18:23."_

A few minutes later, they arrived on scene to find a car had gone off the road, striking a parked car.  
"Let's get a reel line on that gas." shouted Cap as they exited their vehicles.  
The trio grabbed their gear and ran over to where Vince was standing, next to the occupied vehicle.  
"He's got a pretty good cut on his head," Vince picked up an empty vodka bottle off the floor, "I don't think he feels it though."  
Roy got into the car, next to the driver while Amy got the trauma box and Johnny got the bio phone set up. The patient looked to be about 35 years old.  
"Mister, can you hear me?"  
"I hear lots of things." slurred the patient.  
"What's your name?" Roy asked, checking the patient's pupils with his penlight.  
"What's it to ya? I have my rights, you know."  
Roy stood up and turned to Vince.  
"He's pretty drunk. Probably has a concussion. We should run him into Rampart just in case."  
The group helped the driver out and over to the squad, bandaging up his head.  
"Debbie? _Debbie_!"  
Amy heard a woman scream. She turned around and saw a woman who had just exited the store drop her bags, apparently very distraught. The ambulance had arrived and were already loading the patient. Vince rushed over to the woman. Amy had a sudden dropping sensation in her gut.  
"Roy." she called as Vince turned in their direction. Amy was already rushing over to them with the trauma box when Roy and Johnny realized something was happening.  
"This woman thinks her little girl is still in the car." said Vince.  
"Are you sure?" asked Roy.  
"Yes. I left her in the car to go grocery shopping. Debbie?" she called inside the car.  
Vince pulled out his flashlight, shinning it through the car.  
"Hold it, hold it. Right there, right there" said Johnny. Amy spotted the legs hidden under the front of the car. Johnny pulled hard on the door in an attempt to yank it open, to no avail. It was jammed shut. He looked up over the roof of the car to Amy.

"Anything?" he asked.

Amy shook her head. "Nothing."

"Roy, I'm getting the jaws."

"Okay."

It was a long few minutes, but Johnny finally got the door open, Roy rushing in as soon as he was clear. Amy had the bio phone already out and had Rampart on standby.

"Respirations about 8, pulse about 50. She's in bad shape. This dashboard is wrapped around her like a blanket." said Roy.

"Let's use the chains on the jaws then." said Cap, turning back towards the rest of his men. "Better make it quick. We could use all the time we can get."

Amy knelt down next to the bio phone and picked up the receiver.

"Rampart, this is Squad 51."

"Go ahead, 51. Standby."

Surprised, Amy waited patiently.

_Wonder what's going on. _She thought.

"Go ahead 51." Brackett's voice sounded over the phone.

"Rampart, we have a 7 yo female. She is comatose. Respirations about 8, pulse is about 50."

"Pupil reaction?"

"We can't check. This is info only."

"10-4, 51. Let me know when you have her out."

"10-4. Rampart, we're also sending you a 35 yo male, possible concussion. He's also intoxicated."

"He's here, 51, in all his glory."

Amy hear the smile in Brackett's voice and couldn't help but smile herself. She set down the receiver and focused back on what was going on around her.

It was another few minutes before the dashboard was peeled away from the girl. Amy watched as Roy's upper body completely disappeared. Then she heard his voice.

"Left pupil dilated and reactive. Right pupil is normal," He called out, "She's also got a large contusion on the left side of her head. Hold for vitals."

Amy got back on the bio phone while Johnny assisted Roy.

"Rampart, Squad 51."

"Go ahead, 51."

"Rampart, we've gained access to the patient. She is still comatose. Left pupil dilated and reactive, right pupil normal. There is a large contusion to the left side of the head. Hold for vitals."

"Bp 140/70, Respirations 8, Pulse 54." Johnny called to her.

"Rampart, Vitals are Pulse 54, BP 140/70, Respirations 8." Amy knew the vitals weren't too great, but she kept her voice calm.

"51, check for fluid in the patient's nose and ears."

"Already done so, Rampart. Negative."

"Alright, 51. IV D5W and transport as soon as possible."

"10-4 Rampart."

Setting down the receiver, she called over to Roy with Rampart's instructions before helping the ambulance attendants with the gurney.

Roy and Amy rode in to Rampart with the patient, Johnny following with the squad. It was a harrowing ride, relief washing over the two rescuers when Rampart came into view. There was a blur of activity as the hospital staff rushed in to help transport the patient into Treatment Room 1, where Drs Brackett and Early were waiting. Amy continued to bag the patient as they transferred her to the hospital bed. One of the nurse's took over for her and she left the room, heading straight for the Nurse's Station. Since Dixie was in Treatment Room 1 as well, Amy left a note of what supplies she took and headed for the squad. She knew the little girl's parents were in the waiting room, and she didn't have the heart to confront them, not with their daughter's condition being so severe.

She caught sight of her partners down the hall, talking with the patient's parents, as she had feared. Johnny happened to look up, catching Amy's eye. She lifted a bag of fluid, motioning she had gotten supplies. Johnny gave a quick nod in understanding before Amy turned and disappeared around the corner.

The movie that happened to be playing on the television that night also happened to be one of Amy' favorite John Wayne movies. She, Roy and Johnny had talked about the call on the way back to the station, acting as eachother's therapist. If only there was some way to keep these drunks off the road. But until then, they would just have to do their best at handling the outcomes of the consequences.

The men, plus one, were lounging about the dayroom when the movie finally ended. Roy, who happened to be seated next t o Amy, reached over and placed a hand over her mug, sliding it away from her. She looked at him with questioning eyes.

"That's your fourth cup of coffee. You drink anymore and you're going to be worse than Johnny with _no _caffeine." He said quietly, hoping Johnny hadn't heard him.

Amy smiled, "I didn't realize I'd had that much. Thanks." She was glad she had someone already watching her back. Roy reminded her so much of her own father that she almost forgot how much she missed him back in Washington. Most of her medic partners back home had been like her family as well, having watched her grow up. Finding a person like Roy was already helping with the homesickness. And she could tell that somehow, though she wasn't sure how, Roy understood this. She was really starting to thank her lucky stars that she had gotten the job at Station 51.

Chet stood up from his chair and walked over to the television, turning it off.

"Man, was that ever some movie."

Amy was about to agree when Johnny interjected.

"Yeah, some movie alright." He said bitterly.

"Alright? Man, that was a classic in its day. History in the making is what that film was."

Amy was about to add her agreement, but thought better of it. She had a feeling that Chet had started something, and she didn't want to get involved. Not yet, anyway.

"Hear a bit of needling in that." said Roy.

"Needling? Just because the Indians lost? I mean, anybody with a little education could see the historical significance of that movie." said Chet.

Cap, sensing what was going to happen, stood up and walked over to the table, immediately becoming interested in the paper he had already read this morning. Amy flashed him an accusing look when he happened to glance up at her, giving her a quick wink.

"Here we go, again." Roy sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"Historical significance? That was a crummy piece of propaganda to make jerks like you feel comfortable. Besides, it was a lousy film." Johnny had stood up and gone to the kitchen area, Chet close behind.

Realization finally hit Amy as she looked at the rest of the shift, their eyes glued to the two men arguing as they silently shook their heads. She kept her mouth closed, wanting to be sure she was correct in her thinking before saying anything.

"Lousy? I thought it was great." argued Chet.

"Oh, you would. Ah, I don't want to talk about it. Forget it." said Johnny.

"You call me a dope, then you tell me to forget about it. Come on, what do you mean?" Chet egged on.

"I didn't call you a dope, I called you a jerk. And you know exactly what I'm talking about. That movie didn't really tell it like it was. I mean, it didn't really show what land grabbing, tree breaking…liars, you whites really were." Johnny was visibly irritated.

Amy knew she had been correct in her thinking. Apparently, this was a touchy subject for Johnny, and Chet knew exactly where to push his buttons. She couldn't help but smile, remembering a certain partner that she used to do the same thing with back home. That is, until…she pushed the memory out of her head and focused back on the two arguing.

"Oh, I get it now, Johnny. You better be careful, that Indian blood of yours is starting to boil." said Chet.

"Yeah, and I may revert back to it and go after your scalp, starting with your upper lip." Johnny took a sip of his coffee.

"Okay, let's call that one a draw." said Roy, trying to put a stop to it before it got any further.

"A draw? What are we doing here, choosing up sides? The Irishmen against the Indians?" Johnny asked, defensively.

"What are you picking on me for?" asked Roy, just as defensive.

"I'm not picking on you!" Johnny shot back.

"_Damnit, Chet." _ thought Roy.

"I don't know what you're getting so uptight about. I've got Indian blood in me, too." Chet interjected.

Amy choked back a laugh when she caught Cap rolling his eyes.

"Wait, wait. Let me guess, on your grandmother's side." said Johnny, setting down his coffee.

"Yeah, that's right." said Chet.

"And she was an Indian princess. Cherokee, most likely."

"Hey, that's pretty good," smiled Chet, "How'd you know?"

Fighting back a smile, Johnny put an arm around Chet's shoulders and said, in a thick Hollywood movie style Indian voice, "We call it 'White Man Royalty Syndrome.'"

Roy blinked back his surprised a few times before turning to the rest of the still silent crew. Amy, however, had not been able to contain herself as easily. Bursting with laughter, Johnny's eyes were suddenly on her, his anger boiling dangerously on the edge.

"You find something funny?" he practically yelled, not thinking.

Amy immediately stopped her laughter, turning half amused, half icy eyes on Johnny. Although she knew this was all fun and games, she did _not _like being talked to as such.

"John-" Roy tried to muzzle his young partner before he got into more trouble.

"Its okay, Roy. I can handle him." Amy's eyes resting on him for a second. "I didn't start this 'argument', so don't bring it here." She stated coolly, turning back on Johnny.

"I see. You're just a neutral observer?" Johnny asked, sarcastically.

"By your earlier statement, yes I am." she saw the confusion cross his face, lightening her mood.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"You said 'Irishmen against the Indians'. I'm German."

"She has you there, Johnny." Chet shrugged.

"German? Really?" asked Johnny, his voice full of doubt.

"Where else would I get the name Scheimer?" asked Amy, using the same tone.

Roy shook his head, "I may not be able to stop her, but I'm stopping you, Johnny. So shush before you get yourself into even deeper trouble."

Johnny opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it. He had already let his anger get away from him. After all, Chet was oblivious to how Johnny really felt about his heritage, and he knew deep down that it was all in good fun. So he closed his mouth and kept it so.

"Ah, it's ok. I'm heading to bed anyways. Hopefully I don't have to see you guys till the morning." Amy smiled, standing up from the table.

"That sounds good to me. We'll be right behind you. Lights out in 10 minutes. Good night, Amy." said Cap.

"Night guys." with the mens' salutations being called at her back, she disappeared through the door, Boot, again, right on her heels.

"That dog has really taken a liking to her." Marco commented.

"Yeah, well, he doesn't like me. Probably because she's whi-"

"German?" Roy cut off Johnny.

"Right, German." Johnny sulked in the seat next to Roy.

"I'm going to bed, too. Working with you can be downright tiresome." Roy stood up and headed for the bunkroom as well, the rest of A-shift not too far behind him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

She woke to the sound of a dog's whine. Opening her eyes, it took her a few moments to remember where she was at. Hearing the dog's whine again, Amy looked to her right to see Boot's head resting on the bed. She glanced at the new alarm clock on the small night stand and was surprised that it was already almost 6:30 in the morning. Boot whined again, thumping his tail against the cold cement floor of the bunk room.

"Alright, alright," Amy said quietly as to not wake the others. "I'll let you out. Give me a sec."

Forcing herself into a sitting position, she stretched and yawned before standing to through on her slacks and boots. Still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she pulled back the divider curtain and followed Boot out of the bunk room and to the front door. Unlocking it, she opened it as Boot rushed past her.

She stood in the doorway, the sun peeking through the clouds, at least that's what she hoped it was, in a brilliant array of oranges and pinks. She had seen many similar sunrises in the last couple months, but not nearly as rested as she was now. There hadn't been any nightmares, she now realized, which for her was a good thing, even if it was only the one night.

Boot came trotting up to her as she grabbed the paper, entering the station together. Not knowing when the boys usually woke up, she started a pot of coffee, just to be on the safe side. She could only imagine what they were like without it. Realizing that they were, indeed, still asleep, she decided to take the opportunity for a quick shower.

She locked the door to the locker room behind her and pulled out a clean uniform from her locker, along with her duffle bag. She turned the shower on, hotter than she usually liked in an attempt to relax away the left over tension from the previous day.

She had just rinsed her hair of suds when she felt the headache coming on.

_ Really? Now? _she asked herself.

But the image that came to her was one she was already familiar with. The squad, in a ditch, Roy and Johnny on either side of her. Not like she hadn't seen this before. Knowing what it meant, she closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the shower's wall, turning off the water.

_ How much more can my brain take? My head already feels like it's going to explode! _She was more frustrated with the universe at this point than anything else.

She stood like this for a few more minutes, suddenly remembering that she was, in fact, in the station. Not feeling like responding to a call with wet hair, she got out and quickly dried off.

The day room was still empty, save for the dog curled up on the couch, as she entered. Looking at the clock, she saw it was nearly 7:30.

"Heavy sleepers, I guess." she directed at Boot as she made her way to the much desired coffee.

Pouring herself a cup, she headed for the table to retrieve the paper she had brought in, taking a seat on the couch next to Boot. She was taking her first sip when the klaxons blaring through the station startled her. Letting out a sigh, she set down her cup before turning to the now awake dog next to her.

"Of course they would." she smiled. she headed for the squad as Sam's voice came over the radio.

_"Station 51, car over cliff, Rock Ridge at __milepost 14. Law enforcement has been advised._

_Rock Ridge mile post 14. Time out, 7:53."_

Amy was in the squad by the time her two still half asleep partners got in. Cap handed the address to Roy and both rigs headed out.

"You really are a morning person." said Roy. Johnny turned to respond but stopped when he realized the comment wasn't for him. He turned back to look out the window.

"I told you. Depends on the morning," smiled Amy. "Actually, it was Boot. Wanted outside, so I obliged him."

"So, he finally found someone he can wake up." smiled Roy.

"Apparently. So, you guys now Rock Ridge better than me. Any ideas where this is at?" asked Amy.

"At mile post 14." said Johnny, pulling out the map book.

Amy turned a sour face on him, "I figured that out myself. Thanks, Chief."

She realized it immediately after she said it, turning to Johnny.

"I'm sorry Johnny. It didn't have anything to do with-" she began to apologize.

"Huh?" Johnny looked up from the map book, clearly confused.

"Did you even hear what I said?" she asked.

"Sorry no. I was thinking." said Johnny.

"Careful now." said Roy.

"Oh hush," Johnny shot back. "I was just thinking, didn't we have a car go over near there about 6 months ago?"

That seemed to trigger a call in Roy's memory.

"Yeah. Near mile post 15, right?" he asked.

"Right. Which means, if it's where I'm thinking, not only is this gonna be a rope rescue, but it's gonna be difficult, too. Real difficult." said Johnny.

"Great. Haven't had a rope rescue in a while." Amy said to no one in particular.

"Sure you're up for it?" asked Johnny.

"John," Amy made an exasperated sigh, "I've been doing this for the last three years. When are you going to remember that?"

"When I see it." said Johnny.

Amy considered his comment for a moment, responding before Roy could.

"Okay, I understand that."

Roy gave her a sideways glance, not sure of her sudden change of demeanor.

There wasn't anymore talk until they got to mile post 14. Just a few yards up from the post, the guardrail was peeled back, obvious signs of a car having broken through.

The rest of the crew grabbed gear as Johnny looked over the edge. About a 150 feet down, resting on a rock ledge, was the vehicle. Although it was flipped onto it's roof, Johnny could tell it was a wagon. At least, what was left of one. What concerned him most was the lack of movement from inside and the way the car was rocking back and forth in the wind, showing it's instability.

Cap appeared at his side as the rest of the crew made ready the ropes.

"What do you think, John?" asked Cap, getting his first look of the vehicle down below.

"I don't know, Cap. It looks awfully unstable. No movement either. Whoever is in there must be unconscious." said Johnny.

"Alright." Cap turned to the rest of the crew. "Roy, you three repel down and secure the vehicle. We'll lower your gear when you're ready."

"Okay, Cap." said Roy. He walked over to Johnny and handed him his belt. Amy came and stood on his other side, looking over the edge. she let out a whistle, studying the wreck below.

"Looks like a real mess. How you want to do this?" she asked, securing her line to the undamaged rail.

"I'll take the middle, Roy take the left, and you take the right." said Johnny, as they, too, secured their lines.

"Sounds good," she replied, sliding on her gloves, "you two ready?"

"Ladies first." said Johnny.

"Wow, he does have manners." she said under her breath, stepping off the edge to start her decent.

"What?" Johnny called after her.

"Nothin'!" she called back, already a few feet down.

The repel down wasn't so bad until she made it to the vehicle. It was a lot worse up close. The car's front end was facing towards the rock wall with about 3 feet of the back end hanging over the cliff's edge. The front was completely smashed in. Immediately her heart sank. She had seen accidents like this before, and there were usually no survivors. She could hear the creaking of metal as the car rocked in the wind like a see-saw. Squatting down, she was trying to see into the car through the windshield when Johnny landed next to her.

"See anything?" he asked, pulling himself some slack from his line.

"No. It's too mashed. Can't get a visual." she said, straightening up.

Roy landed next to Johnny a few moments later, pulling the HT from his belt.

"Squad 51 for Engine 51."

"Engine 51, go ahead." Cap responded.

"We're ready for those lines." said Roy.

"Comin' right up." said Cap.

The trio looked up as Marco and Chet threw down two ropes, the other ends tied off to the engine above. Both Amy and Johnny grabbed a line as they turned back to the rocking car. Roy was also trying to get a visual of anybody inside.

"Our best bet is the axle." said Johnny.

"Both front wheels are accessible. Just tie off behind them. I've got this side." said Amy, moving towards her target. A few moments later, both ropes were secured in place. Roy got on the HT and had Mike back the engine to bring up the slack.

"I don't know, Roy. Still looks pretty shaky." said Johnny, stepping back from the vehicle.

"Not much more we can do." said Roy.

Amy had just made it to the driver's side, careful to not get her own line caught in the others. She peered in through the broken window and made a grizzly discovery. The front of the car had been smashed clear to the front seat, pinning the driver to the steering wheel. Before even checking for his pulse, she knew he was dead. She pulled her arm back and straightened up.

"Driver is a Code F." she called over to the medics, who were working on freeing their gear that had been lowered down.

"Do you see anybody else?" asked Roy.

"Not yet. It's so mangled it's hard to see." she called back. She let out some slack on her line before pulling out her pocket flashlight and getting down on all fours. She looked in through the back passenger window, seeing nothing but broken glass and tangled metal. She was about to turn off the light when she thought she heard a moan.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" she called, hoping she had heard right. She was rewarded with another, slightly louder moan. She also thought she had seen some movement towards the back.

"Hey! I got someone here! Still alive!" Amy shouted over a sudden gust of wind. The car rocked, blocking her view of the patient for a brief moment. Roy and Johnny were at her side in an instant.

"Where?" asked Johnny.

Amy pointed her light towards the direction of the moan.

"There. I don't know if she's completely conscious, but I got a moan in response. It's gonna be hard getting her out." said Amy, already preparing herself to enter to the vehicle.

"Someone's gonna have to go in, but I don't like it. Not with the way the car's still moving." said Roy.

"And the patient is lying right on the edge of the cliff, too. The extra weight may cause this whole thing to shift." said Johnny, neither of them noticing any of Amy's actions.

"I'll make it easy then. I'm going. I'll pull her out head first, then pass her off to one of you." Amy was pulling a few feet more of slack on her line.

"I'll hold down the front bumper. That'll help balance it out." said Roy.

"Boy, I still don't like it." said Johnny, Roy making his way to the front bumper.

"Neither do I," said Amy, taking off her helmet and handing it to Johnny, "but we don't have the luxury of time. She's gotta come out now."

"Roy, have Cap get a man on Amy's line. Her hands are gonna be full." Johnny called to his partner, already at the front of the car. Roy nodded his head and relayed the message to Cap over the HT. Readjusting her gloves, Amy got down on all fours again, studying the situation carefully.

"Johnny! She's secure! I'm ready!" Roy called.

Johnny squatted down next to Amy, taking her flashlight to hold in place.

"You're good to go. Be careful." he said.

"Why start now?" she grinned before slowly entered the vehicle.

It was slow going, broken glass and pieces of metal jabbing up at her from every angle. She made it to what she thought was the middle of the back seat. Locating the patient's head, she pulled off her right glove with her teeth before checking for a carotid. It was weak, but it was there. She surveyed her extremely confined surroundings as she put her glove back on. It was going to be even more difficult than she had anticipated. No way would she have fit with her helmet. The roof, or the floor, as she realized, couldn't have been more than two feet high.

"Man. Claustrophobics need not apply." she caught herself saying aloud.

The patient was already lying on her back, but unfortunately, her head was facing the other window. Amy wasn't going to risk the patient any further injury by trying to turn her around. With a frustrated huff, Amy slowly backed out of the car.

"It's no good. I gotta get her from the other side," she said to Johnny as she stood up and made her way around the front of the car. "Roy, how you holding up?"

"Honestly, I can't hold it much longer. Make it fast." said Roy. "Here, Roy, I'll take over." said Johnny, gently pushing his partner out of the way as he put his own weight against the bumper. Roy looked at Johnny, slightly surprised at the quickness of his actions, before following Amy. She was already down on all fours, re-evaluating the situation by the time he reached her.

"Rampart on standby?" she asked.

"Yeah." he responded, squatting down next to her.

"Okay. Tell them the patient is a female, about 35 years old. Weak pulse and slow respirations." Amy rattled off as she handed Roy her flashlight, getting ready to re-enter the car.

"Any obvious signs of trauma?" asked Roy.

"I didn't see any blood or deformities, surprisingly, but it's pretty tight. We'll know more when we get her out." she replied.

After adjusting the light in Roy's hand to suit her need, Amy crawled back into the car. There seemed to be even less room to move as Amy finally made her way to the patient. Pulling off both gloves this time, Amy took a few extra moments to reassess the patient's condition. Her pulse was still weak, but it was more rapid; respirations about the same. She could see a little better now in the light and saw that multiple lacerations covered the patient's face. Some Amy knew would need stitches, but there was no other signs of injury.

"Pulse is still pretty thready, but it's more rapid. Respirations about the same. She's got multiple lacerations to her face, some pretty deep. Still unconscious." she called back to Roy.

"I'll let Rampart know." said Roy, disappearing from sight for a few moments.

Maneuvering herself into position on the patient's side, she half laid, half knelt as she carefully sat the patient up just enough to get behind her. Taking most of the patient's weight onto her chest, Amy hooked her arm under the patient's left shoulder, bringing it through to grab onto the patient's right wrist.

_ While do I always think of a pretzel when I do this? _she asked, a half smile playing about her lips before she came back to the situation before her. Taking a moment to rest, she tilted her head back over her right shoulder, seeing Roy's face eagerly watching her.

"Coming out!" she yelled.

Carefully drawing her right leg up under her, she reached out with her free elbow, mindful of the shards of glass. In one carefully calculated move, she drug herself and her patient towards the window where Roy waited. The patient let out a quiet groan, causing Amy to pause momentarily. As best she could in her current position, she looked at the patient's face. It was obvious that she was still unconscious. Amy figured that the groan had been a reaction from the movement. It was a good sign, at least she was getting a response. Thinking she felt a cramp coming on, Amy shifted her leg slightly, producing another moan from the woman.

"I know, hun. I'm working as fast as I can." she soothed. With a greater sense of determination, Amy dug in again. She was only able to gain about six inches each time, but she was making quick progress.

She was starting to feel winded, her muscles growing weak, when, with a final push, she made it close enough for Roy to reach in and take over. Grabbing a hold of the patient's upper torso, Roy was about to pull when the car rocked a few inches, towards the cliff's edge. Amy held onto the patient, bracing against the car to keep from moving.

"Johnny, you okay?" asked Roy.

"All the movement has caused the rocks to shift. I'm fine, but get out of there, we may loose it." Johnny replied.

As if in response to his statement, there was a loud groan as the car shifted again, causing Amy to tighten her hold on the patient. With one fluid motion, Roy pulled the patient free of the car, continuing towards the rock wall and out of danger.

Amy quickly got onto her knees and was almost clear herself when a violent gust of wind hit the car. It rocked with enough force to snap one of the anchor lines. In an attempt to compensate the shift, Amy instinctively reached out a hand to grab onto something. Unfortunately, it was a sharp piece of metal. Slicing open her hand, Amy reactively pulled it back, loosing her balance. The next thing she knew, she was tumbling backwards and out through the broken back window of the car, finding herself suddenly airborne. A few seconds later, her line finally caught, swinging her violently towards the second cliff''s face. She had just enough time to register what was happening as she slammed into the rock, her left shoulder taking the full hit. She heard the familiar 'pop' before the pain shot from her shoulder down to her elbow.

"Owww! God _damn _IT!" she yelled, her voice echoing off the rock. As she continued to swing back and forth, she took a few ragged breaths through gritted teeth, closing her eyes to give her brain a moment to unscramble itself.

"Amy! Amy, can you hear me?"

She opened her eyes and looked up to see Johnny's face staring down at her.

It took her a few moments to find her voice through the pain and confusion, quickly assessing her own mental state and injuries. Though her shoulder was excruciating, she realized there was another pain, a hot, searing pain, coming from her right hand and forearm. Releasing her death grip on the rope, she held it up to get a better look. She was some-what surprised to see it covered in glass and blood. All things considering, it really didn't feel as bad as it looked. She could already see at least one laceration was going to need stitches as well. Next, she took ahold of her lerft arm and placed her hand inside the front of her shirt to make a sling. The slight release of pressure helped with the pain, which made it easier for her to think clearly.

Amy waited until she had stopped swinging before, again, taking her right hand and palpating her neck, ignoring the pain it caused her to move that hand.

_Alright. No neck pain. Ouch, yep. Lower back pain. Heads fine. At least, not _injured. _Can't say it's completely normal_. She laughed aloud at the last thought.

"Amy?" asked Johnny, concerned by Amy's sudden burst of laughter.

"I'm fine. Nothing serious. I dislocated my shoulder though, so I won't be coming back up by myself." Amy shouted up to him. That's when she noticed just how far she had fallen. She estimated she was a good 15 feet down, and about 4 feet from the rock wall she had slammed into moments before. She figured the car must have slipped when she fell because she didn't remember it being that far over the edge.

"Alright, just hold on. We're coming to get you. We need to get another anchor line on the car before we can. Just hold tight!" Johnny called down to her, taking in the full gravity of the situation.

"Where's the patient?" asked Amy.

"Roy's working on her now over by our gear." said Johnny. He turned to leave but stopped when he heard her still yelling at him.

"Johnny! Wait a minute!"

She took a moment to fight through the pain. She needed to think. Looking up at where her line was in relation to the car, she could see she had done a nice job of threading it onto her line. It was going to take time to get her out of this mess. Not to mention if the car went over, it would go down the line and directly to her. She had time, maybe not much of it, depending on the stability of the car, but it was more than the patient had. She made her decision.

"The patient first." she yelled up to Johnny. He wasn't sure if he had heard her right.

"What?" he asked.

"The patient first, Johnny. Help Roy." she said sternly.

"The car could go-" Johnny began to argue.

"Doesn't matter! The patient first. I can wait, she can't! Go!" she practically ordered.

Johnny stood rooted to the spot, unsure of what to do. He knew she was right, the patient was their first priority, but he couldn't leave a partner injured and dangling from a car over a cliff. He didn't even know if she _hadn't_ hit her head and had a concussion right now. Maybe she wasn't even sure what she was saying, wasn't thinking straight.

"John! Go!" he heard her yell. He had a decision to make.

He looked back down at his new partner, hoping he was making the right one.

"I'll get you out, I promise. Just hang on!" he yelled.

"Bad choice of words, Johnny" Amy yelled as he turned and disappeared from sight. "Bad choice of words."

She looked at her line again and sighed.

_ Well, this is a cluster. How did I not see this coming? _she asked herself.

Johnny ran back to where Roy was working on the still unconscious patient. Roy looked up at him with a shocked expression.

"What about Am-" he began before Johnny cut him off.

"The patient needs a hospital now. Get her topside, anchor the car, then I'm going after her."

Roy wasn't sure what Amy had said to him to make him act this way, but he recognized the determination in his partner's eyes. Once Johnny was set on something, there was no stopping him. So, with a quick glance towards the cliff's edge, Roy went back to helping Johnny package the patient for the ride up.

After securing himself on the stokes, next to the patient's head, Roy nodded to Johnny.

"I'll take it from here." he said.

"See you at Rampart," said Johnny, "Both of us."

"I'll hold you to that." Roy replied, turning his face upward.

Johnny held the HT to his mouth and keyed the mic.

"Okay, Cap. Pull 'em up."

"10-4." Cap replied.

After making sure Roy and the patient started their journey upwards with no complications, Johnny turned and bolted back to the cliff's edge, pulling on his gloves as he went.

She was half way through singing the song 'My Favorite Things' through her head for the third time when she heard her name from above. Looking up, she saw her partner's face, full of concern.

"The patient?" she asked.

"On her way to Rampart." said Johnny.

"Good." she said. _That's a load off my mind._

Before Johnny could respond further, their was a heavy creaking sound that emanated from the vehicle. They first looked at the car, then to each other as a louder groan followed. They both saw something in the other's face they hadn't yet seen before. Panic. Johnny was on the HT in an instant.

"Cap, we don't have time for another anchor line. This thing's gonna go. I've got to get her out _now!_" shouted Johnny.

"10-4. Gage, be careful." Johnny could hear the concern in the Captain's voice. He hooked the HT to his belt and prepared his decent. He was over the edge in a few seconds and quickly made his way down, stopping when he was level with Amy.

"I can honestly say I've never been so happy to see you." Amy joked.

He was really starting to wonder about her mental state. Maybe she had hit her head and didn't remember.

"Reach out to me and I'll pull you in." said Johnny, already holding out his hand to her. He was surprised to see the blood covering the extremity she reached out to him. She hadn't said anything about the injury, but he was already concentrating on getting her out of there. He was just able to reach her, carefully taking hold of her hand.

"Thank goodness you have long arms." she said as he pulled her to him, careful not to jarr her injured shoulder. He took a quick look at her head, but didn't see any signs of injury.

"How are you doing, really?" asked Johnny as he secured her to his own line. The smile vanished from her face as she looked at him, judging her next words carefully. Letting out what seemed like the tenth one, she sighed. Placing her forehead against Johnny's chest, she finally let down her guard as the seriousness of the situation took its hold on her.

Her reaction to his question surprised him, but not as much as his own. He couldn't explain the sudden urge he felt to wrap his arms around her, to comfort her and protect her. He realized that it was similar to what he had felt when she had been down in that hole with the cardiac. Perhaps it was the fact that she was extremely vulnerable and needed his help or maybe it was the way he was protective of his partner, he didn't know. All he knew was he couldn't take the time to comfort her. He needed to get her out now. Johnny wasted no time in getting her disconnected from her own line and closer to being out of danger. Almost a minute passed before Amy looked back up at him, an emotion he wasn't sure he could describe etched across her face.

"I'm dangling God knows how many feet in the air with an arm full of glass, a dislocated shoulder on top of some kind of back injury, and I have a car hanging off an edge above my head that could crash down on top of me at any moment. To be completely honest, I'm not doing so well." she confessed.

"Then let's get out of here." said Johnny.

"That's the best idea you've ever had." a slight smile crossing Amy's face.

Johnny mirrored her smiled as he pulled out the HT.

"Okay, Cap. Bring us up. _Slowly._" Johnny emphasized.

"I have another confession to make." said Amy as they slowly began their ascend.

"Maybe you should save it for the church." Johnny joked, trying to distract her.

"Na. It's not that kind of confession. I'm scared of heights." she cast her eyes downward, immediately closing them to avoid looking down. That was the last thing she wanted at the moment.

Johnny looked at her, not sure if she was serious or just joking again. It was sometimes hard to tell with her.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"Yeah. I always have been." she said sheepishly.

He now realized that there had been more to her whole experience than the pain. She had been fighting to keep control of herself the entire time as well.

"Then why would you do stuff like this?" Johnny blurted out. It didn't make sense to him.

"Control, really." said Amy.

"Control?"

"Yeah. It's all about mind control." she was still fighting her urge to look down.

"Huh?" asked Johnny. She had lost him with that last statement.

"Basically, it's mind over matter. Sometimes I run into situations, on the job and off, where heights are involved. Instead of allowing my fear to dictate my actions and prevent me from doing something, I learned how to control my fear. Such as learning and becoming efficient at repelling and rock climbing." said Amy.

"That makes sense. You learned how to do this to conquer your fear." said Johnny, seeing they were nearing the top.

"Oh I didn't conquer it. Just learned how to control it." said Amy, looking up as well.

Johnny pulled himself up when they reached the top, disconnecting himself from the line before carefully helping Amy do the same. He was really starting to rethink his initial assessment of her.

"Feels good to be on solid ground again." Amy said as she put her hand back inside her shirt, relieving her shoulder from some of the weight. She slowly moved her hips in a circle, feeling out the pain in her back, Johnny catching the motion out of the corner of his eye.

"Obviously it's not bad if you can stand and do that." he stated, readjusting his line.

"No. Pretty sure I felt everyone of my vertebrae crack when my line snapped me back, but I think I just pulled some muscles. Probably going to have a bruise where the belt is tomorrow." she said as she headed towards Johnny and the rest of their gear.

"Rampart already okayed an IV and MS for you." said Johnny.

Although the morphine sounded very inviting, Amy decided to skip it. She wasn't going to go home when she had half a shift left, and morphine always made her act weird. Well, weirder, anyway.

"I have a dislocated shoulder. I'll live." she grimaced in pain as she looked up the rock wall they still had to climb. "But I will have to relocated it before we head back up."

"What?" asked Johnny, some-what stunned.

Amy turned back to him.

"Yeah. It'll go back in easy. I first dislocated it a few years back in a horse riding accident. Since then it's popped out maybe twice? I can usually do it myself, but I'm not seeing anything I can use." Amy said as she looked around for an anchor of some kind. Giving up, she sat down as Johnny brought over the trauma box.

"Looks like you're out of luck on that one. Wait till we get to Rampart. Early is pretty good at-"

"You'll need to do it." she said, cutting Johnny off. He wasn't so sure she had even heard what he was saying.

"I'm not so sure..." began Johnny.

"Oh would you just hurry up and do it? Contrary to popular belief, this hurts like hell and I'm not going to wait until we get to a hospital when we can do it right here." Amy snapped.

"Okay then. Still don't want the MS?" asked Johnny as he knelt down next to her and gently placed his hands in the proper positions.

"Yep. Just do it." she said, closing her eyes and preparing herself. Just having her arm straightened out was almost unbearable.

"Alright, on three. One-" there was a loud 'pop' as Johnny swiftly pushed the dislocated humerus back into it's socket.

A moan of pain mixed with relief escaped Amy's lips before taking a few deep breaths.

"Better?" asked Johnny.

She opened her eyes to meet his.

"Yes. Thank you." she said gratefully.

"Alright then. Let's get that hand and arm wrapped up before we head topside." Johnny pulled out a roll of gauze as Amy held out her arm. Now that her shoulder didn't hurt so much, her arm was beginning to really sting.

"That should hold till we get to Rampart. You ready to go? Or do you need another minute?" he asked, standing up to gather the rest of the gear.

Amy looked around a moment, her eyes coming to rest on the car, which, she just remembered, was still occupied.

"Let's get the flock out of here." she said.

About 15 minutes later, they stood atop the cliff. Still keeping her arm in its makeshift sling, Amy got herself into the squad as Johnny had a quick conversation with Cap. Amy had just rolled down her window for some air when Marco hastily approached her.

"Amy, I'm sorry." Marco blurted out.

She was taken aback a moment, not sure what he was referring to.

"Sorry? For what?" she asked.

Johnny, who had caught Marco's apology as he neared the squad, put the last piece of equipment away. Closing the compartment doors, he leaned against the squad, listening intently.

"I was the one on your line. I knew you needed slack while you got the woman out. I didn't realize you were falling until it was too late." Marco spoke quickly now.

_ So that's why it caught when it did. _Amy thought to herself.

"Marco, it was an accident. It all happened so fast that I'm not even sure what happened exactly. It's not your fault." she said, patting him on the shoulder.

Johnny backed away, walking around to get into the driver's seat.

"But I was responsible for you. I should have been more careful." argued Marco.

Amy thought about how best to relieve him of his guilt. Sure, she got banged up some, but it could have been a lot worse. "Marco, listen to me carefully," she began, looking him in the eye as the squad suddenly roared to life, "Yo soy culpable, me amigo, no te. Okay?"

Marco sighed.

"Si." he replied.

"Okay then. I'll see you back at the station." she smiled.

Marco nodded his head and backed away as the squad took off.

"Three years of accident free rope rescues, and _now_ I screw up." said Amy, looking at her bandaged arm.

"You didn't screw up," said Johnny, "we did."

"Oh let's not start with the guilt game. Bottom line is, I should not have been fooling around in that damn thing to begin with. It wasn't stable like we had thought." said Amy.

"If we had waited any longer, that woman could have died. We did _exactly _what we were trained to do. The car shifting caused it all, not anything you did. You followed procedure," said Johnny, "I would have done the same thing."

"That doesn't help much." Amy rolled her eyes. He was crazy. He probably would have gone in without the car being anchored anyway.

"Okay. Let me put it this way; did we secure the car with anchor lines first?" he asked.

"Yes." Amy said hesitantly, wondering where he was going with this.

"And you were secured to another line before entering an anchored car, correct?" he continued.

"Yes."

"Then, by your own admission, protocol was followed, and you are not at fault." Johnny stated with finality.

Amy opened her mouth to argue but stopped. He was right. She smiled, turning towards him.

"Thanks." she said.

"Your welcome." Johnny smiled.

She let a few moments pass before speaking again.

"By the way, you were pretty smooth with the old shoulder back there, Chief." a grin crossing her face.

"I've done it a few times before. Just don't make a habit of it, 'k, Blondie?" asked Johnny, smiling back.

A lump formed in her throat as she nodded her response. Glen had called her Blondie.

Johnny caught the movement out of the corner of his eye, turning to look at her just as she wiped a tear away.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah. That name just brought up some memories." she said. "I'm fine. Really."

"I'm sorry. If you'd rather I not call you that-"

"It's okay, really. It's actually nice to hear somebody call me that again." she gave him a weak smile.

Not sure how to respond, Johnny focused back on the road. He was starting to see that she had a history, and a rough one at that. But until she was ready to share that with him, or if she ever would, he would just have to wait. There was more to her than he had thought, and some things you just didn't rush.

"You know, I never thanked you." Amy's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"For?" he asked.

"Getting me out of there in the first place. And for listening. And for not giving me a hard time about it. Dixie was right. You really aren't what I thought when we first met." she said.

Johnny turned to her, suspicious of her thoughts.

"And what did you think I was?" he asked.

"A sexist ass, to be completely honest." She wasn't sure how he'd take the truth, but she said it, nonetheless. He surprised her with his next statement.

"Well I though you were an all talk, no action-EMT know it all-wannabe!" Johnny stopped himself before he got carried away, realizing that she was just being honest with him. He gave half a laugh before continuing.

"So I guess that makes us even."

"Well, thanks, all the same." said Amy, not sure what else to say.

"We're partners now, you, me, Roy, and we always look out for each other." said Johnny.

"I'm glad we got that sorted out." Amy turned to him, smiling.

"Yeah, me too." Johnny smiled back. "Wanna start over?"

"Na, look at all the progress we've made. I don't think I've got the energy to do it all over again." said Amy.

Johnny just laughed as they pulled into Rampart's ER Bay.

. . .

Roy was pacing by the Nurse's Station, Dixie trying to calm his nerves.

"Roy, you know johnny. He'll get her out of there. I'm sure they're both okay." she soothed.

"They should have been here by now. What if that car fell on both of them? I should never have left." said Roy, continuing to wear a path into the floor.

"The patient was your first priority, you know that. If the car had fallen, we would have gotten a radio report. Besides, there was no other ambulance requested to the scene. Relax, Roy." said Dixie. She knew her favorite dark haired paramedic. There was no need to worry. Yet.

Roy was about to argue back when he heard a familiar laugh echo from the hallway. Turning towards it, he was surprised at what he saw. Johnny and Amy had just rounded the corner, laughing and smiling. It wasn't their mood that surprised him as much as Amy's appearance. Her shirt was smeared with blood and dirt, one arm slung and the other wrapped in gauze. They caught sight of Roy as Amy called out to him.

"Roy!" she smiled. Both he and Dixie were on the two in an instant, Dixie more concerned about Amy's obvious injuries.

"What took you so long?!" Roy practically shouted at Johnny. "Whoa, take it easy, Roy." Johnny put up his hands defensively. "I had to get her out and treat her first."

He hadn't realized just how concerned his partner had been for both of them, instantly realizing he should have radioed in with an update.

Roy turned his gaze on Amy.

"How bad?" he asked, still deeply concerned.

"Not bad. I'm standing." Amy said quickly, completely blind-sided by Roy's outburst.

"Dix, she has glass still in her arm." stated Johnny, trying to get Roy's attention elsewhere.

"Let's go into room 3, here." Dixie pushed open the door and ushered the group inside before turning to a nearby nurse.

"Sally, could you page Doctor Early to Treatment Room 3, please?" she asked.

"Yes, Ms McCall." Sally replied before heading for the phone. Dixie disappeared into the room.

She noticed Amy was using her left arm, but very gingerly as she got up onto the gurney.

"Two days with you guys and she already looks like this. I thought it was just the job that was dangerous, but it seems like you are the worst." said Dixie as she got a tray ready.

"Don't blame them, Dix. Just doing my job." said Amy. Dixie turned momentarily towards the young woman, having heard the slight strain in her voice, before continuing her preparations.

"Well, I will say you look pretty good for just having taken a tumble out of a car and over a cliff. Sounds a lot like somebody else I know." Dixie gave Johnny a sideways look as she set the tray next to Amy.

"What are you looking at me for?" asked Johnny.

"Maybe because you've ended up on this gurney more times than I can count." said Roy.

"Well-at least-it's not my fault!" stammered Johnny.

"No, it's just your bad luck, right?" asked Roy.

"Well, yeah! Listen, Roy, I don't go out and decide 'today I'm going to contract a virus that could kill me'. Or twist my knee going down a hill, or-" Johnny began to argue back.

"Boys! Boys! We have a patient here, remember?" asked Dixie, seeing the alarmed look on Amy's face.

The two immediately ended their argument. For now.

"Alright, now let's see what we've got here." said Dixie as she carefully unwrapped Amy's arm.

"You need me Dix-Amy?" asked Early as he entered the room.

"Hey, Doc." Amy did her best to give him a smile. The shards of glass in her arm had moved when Dixie unwrapped it, causing her new pain.

"What happened?" Early asked as he looked Amy over, then to the two medics.

"Want the short or long version?" asked Amy.

"Give me the basics." said Early, starting his examination of her arm.

"I fell out the back of a car and over a cliff." said Amy.

Early stopped what he was doing to look up at her.

"I think you better start from the top." he said.

"Thought you would." Amy smiled.

She proceeded to tell him the entire chain of events, keeping an eye on Roy's reaction. She thought she saw him go a shade whiter when she got to the part of Johnny relocating her shoulder.

"How do you feel now?" asked Early as she finished her story.

"My shoulder and back aren't so bad, just sore. My hand and arm are the worst of it now." she said, grimacing in pain as Early removed the last piece of glass.

"Well, you're going to need some stitches." began Early.

Amy immediately looked down at her arm.

"Right there," he pointed to the largest cut. It was at least an inch-and-a-half long.

"I had a feeling that would be the case. Oh well." Amy shrugged.

"Don't worry. I like to believe I'm fairly good at stitching. You won't even have a scar." smiled Early.

"Wouldn't be the first scar I've gotten on the job, Doc. No pressure." said Amy.

"Well I'll still give it my best. But before I get started, let's take a look at that shoulder and back. You'll want to take your shirt off, please." said Early.

Amy was about to unbutton her shirt when Dixie stopped her. Amy gave her a questioning look as Dixie turned to the two medics.

"Gentlemen?" she asked sweetly.

Roy gave a quick nod before turning to leave, stopping when Johnny didn't follow him.

"Johnny?" he asked.

"What? Oh!" his face quickly turned red as he realized what was being asked of him. He quickly followed Roy out the door to allow the doctor to continue his examination.

"It's gonna be a couple minutes. Wanna cup of coffee?" asked Roy.

"Sure." said Johnny, following Roy into the coffee room. He was the first to speak when the door closed.

"Man, Roy! I don't know if she's crazy or just out of her mind!"

"Why do you say that?" asked Roy as he handed Johnny a cup before getting one himself.

"First she tells me to leave her hanging over a cliff, then she tells me she doesn't want the IV or the Morphine, and still wants me to relocate her shoulder." said Johnny, "And she's still able to crack jokes through the whole thing. Why are you smiling?"

Roy couldn't help it. Johnny was sounding just like him after an accident.

"Because you would have done the same thing." said Roy, "And I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. I was just concerned."

"Ah, don't worry about it. Amy's fine, I'm fine. I should have reported in. How is the patient?" asked Johnny.

"She arrested twice on the way here. She's in surgery right now. Massive Internal Hemorrhaging." said Roy.

"That would explain a lot." said Johnny.

"Brackett doesn't think she's got much of a chance." said Roy.

Johnny shook his head.

"Well, you can't save them all., I guess. Have they figured out what caused the car to go over?" asked Johnny.

"No. I don't remember seeing any skid marks either. Did you?" asked Roy.

"Nope. That's why I asked." said Johnny.

"Thankfully there were no other cars." Roy added.

"Yeah." Johnny responded halfheartedly. He looked down at his untouched cup of coffee.

Roy studied his young partner carefully.

"How is she? I mean, _mentally_, how is she?" he asked.

Johnny looked up from his cup.

"Honestly, I think she's gonna be okay. She was pretty calm the whole time. The hanging part freaked her out a bit, but she handled it." said Johnny.

"Having a 2,000 pound vehicle hanging above you can have that effect." Roy half smiled.

"It wasn't just that," said Johnny, thoughtfully, "she told me she has a fear of heights, but I don't think it was that either. I think it was the feeling of being vulnerable."

"Vulnerable?" asked Roy, noticing the signs that Johnny was going to attempt to be philosophical.

"Yeah. She was hanging a good 3 or 4 feet from the wall, but even if she had been able to reach it, she couldn't have climbed it with her shoulder dislocated. She couldn't haul herself straight up the line either. I think that's what really got to her. She was vulnerable, helpless, and therefore forced out of her comfort zone." Johnny finished, thinking he understood now what had happened inside her head.

Roy took a moment to process Johnny's thoughts before speaking.

"You know, I think I've been spending too much time with you."

"Why's that?" asked Johnny.

"Cuz that actually makes sense to me." said Roy.

"Aw, come on-"

Before Johnny could finish his comeback to Roy's comment, the door opened, revealing Dixie. The two immediately stood up from the table.

"She's just fine, boys. Ready to go." said Dixie.

The two men followed her out and over to the Nurse's station where Amy was waiting, a fresh bandage covering her hand and arm.

"Ready to go?" she asked, holding the box of supplies. Johnny immediately took it from her.

"What?" she asked, surprised.

"Well-your shoulder-and hand." Johnny stammered lamely.

"Oh, it's not so bad now. My hand is still numb from the anesthetic, and some ice will take care of the shoulder. Another day or two and I'll be as good as new." smiled Amy.

"All the same, maybe you should take it easy. Go home, get some rest." Roy suggested.

"Are you kidding? I'm fine. The shift's half over. Besides, I'll get more rest at the station than at home." said Amy.

Roy looked to Dixie for help, but she just shrugged her shoulders.

"Early tried, too, but she wouldn't hear of it. Pretty tough, this one is." Dixie shared a smile with Amy.

"And stubborn." said Johnny.

"Look who's talking!" The other three said in unison before breaking into laughter.

The HT in Roy's hand beeped, followed by Sam's voice.

_"Squad 51, what's your status?"_

"Squad 51, available." Roy replied.

_"Squad 51, respond for an unknown type rescue_

_at 1397 Alameda Drive, 1-3-9-7 Alameda Drive. Cross _

_street Contra Costa Ave. Time out 11:37."_

"Squad 51, 10-4" said Roy, turning back to the group.

"Well, we better go. See you later, Dix." said Roy.

"See you three later. Take care of that shoulder." said Dixie.

"Yes, Ms. McCall." Amy smiled before turning to follow the medics down the hall. As she did, she caught sight of Brackett exiting Treatment Room 1, shaking his head as he approached Dixie.

Amy stopped at the end of the hall.

"Doctor?" she called.

Brackett turned to see who had called him and saw her, face full of concern. He didn't need to say anything. The look on his face told Amy all she needed to know. Her patient hadn't survived surgery.

"Amy, you coming?" Roy's voice jarred her back as she quickly turned and disappeared from Brackett's view, heading for the squad.


End file.
